California and Florida are home to sun, sand, surf and a sizzling showdown between two governors looking to surpass each other on the national political stage.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says Californians are fleeing their governor’s liberal policies, picking Jacksonville over Southern California to escape what he considers to be a “dumpster fire.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has fired back that Florida is led by a “small, pathetic man,” touting California as an economic powerhouse that Florida “doesn’t even come close” to matching.
The rivalry is heating up with Newsom challenging DeSantis to a debate and DeSantis saying that Newsom should “stop pussyfooting around” and join him in running for president. Newsom, though, says he is behind incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden.
DeSantis and Florida Republicans aren’t fans of California. They have painted the Golden State as a liberal hellscape overrun with crime, homelessness and job-killing government regulations.
“He’s got huge problems in his state. … We all know that. You see it in San Francisco. You see it in LA. You see it in the people fleeing,” DeSantis said.
Seeking to boost his profile, Newsom visited New College of Florida, an institution DeSantis overhauled to reflect his conservative views. The California governor ran an ad in Florida, telling Floridians “freedom is under attack in your state” and taking aim at abortion bans and the Legislature’s LGBTQ+ bills.
“Join us in California, where we still believe in freedom,” Newsom said in the ad. “Freedom of speech. Freedom to choose. Freedom from hate. And the freedom to love.”
Most recently, Newsom said California is considering pursuing criminal charges over migrant flights Florida sent to Sacramento.
How do the two states stack up on some key measures? Home to the nation’s tech and entertainment centers, California’s economic output is higher than Florida’s. California’s per-person gross domestic product is about $92,200, compared with about $62,400 for Florida.
If California were a country, it would have the fifth-largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP.
Newsom defended his state’s economic record during an interview with Fox News personality Sean Hannity, saying California is topping the nation in Nobel laureates, research and development, venture capital and patent applications.
“With all due respect, Florida doesn’t even come close. … California continues to be the dominant economic engine for the American people,” he told Hannity.
Californians pay higher taxes than Floridians. California has the 12th highest tax burden in the nation, while Florida has the fifth lowest, according to an analysis by Wallethub, a personal finance website.
Californians are leaving the state while Florida’s population is growing. California’s population declined by about 500,000 from April 2020 to July 2022, according to Census data. During that same period, Florida’s population grew by about 700,000.
Newsom said he would debate DeSantis with “one day notice with no notes” and Hannity moderating.
DeSantis hasn’t committed.
“Stop pussyfooting around,” he said Thursday when asked about Newsom. “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?”
Within hours, DeSantis’ campaign was selling “stop pussyfooting around” t-shirts for $34.47.
