DeSantis Team Hits Newsom, Highlights Failures of California Under Democrat’s Leadership

HANNAH BLEAU, Breitbart,  6/19/23

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) team hit back at California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) after a continued back and forth between the state leaders, highlighting the Golden State’s population loss in response to the Democrat’s continued critiques of the Sunshine State.

Last week, DeSantis responded to Newsom’s latest challenge to a debate, telling the Democrat to “stop pussyfooting around” and challenging him to jump into the presidential race instead of chirping from the sidelines.

“You know, it’s interesting. He’s [Newsom’s] got huge problems in his state. I mean, like, huge problems in his state. We all know that. I mean, you see it in San Francisco. You see it in L.A. You see it in the people fleeing. California from its inception, gained population every single year until he became governor,” DeSantis said in response to a question from a reporter who asked about Newsom expressing a desire to debate the Florida governor.

DeSantis continued:

People were drawn to there, and yet, he’s the first governor that’s overseen a massive exodus out of California. And you know, you can kind of understand if somebody comes from Minnesota and moves to Naples, better winters, all this stuff, but if you’re leaving like southern California to move to like Jacksonville — which is a great place — you’re not doing it because of the weather, because they got probably the best weather in the country. You’re doing it because the place is so mismanaged and governed that you just can’t take it anymore.

An ad released by the DeSantis War Room showcases those points, featuring a series of clips of news anchors highlighting California’s problems — from population loss to its failure to address homelessness and rising crime.

That same video also features anchors announcing Florida’s crime dropping to a 50-year low, unemployment figures dropping to a historic low, and touting Florida as the “fastest-growing state in the nation.”

“This is a result of better governance in states like Florida. It is a result of poor governance in these left-wing states,” DeSantis states in the ad. “That’s why people are moving.”

“Yet with all those problems, he has a real serious fixation on the state of Florida. I mean, I think it’s just bizarre that he does that,” the governor said.

“What I would tell him is, ‘You know what? Stop pussyfooting around,’” he said, prompting applause. “Are you going to throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe? Are you going to get in and do it or are you just going to sit on the sidelines and chirp?”

According to recent data, California lost roughly half a million residents between April 2020 and July 2022

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