Red vs Blue State Debate highlights: Top 5 moments from the DeSantis, Newsom slugfest
FOX NewsNOV 2023
Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom Hold Heated Debate
Image copyright: Justin Sullivan/Getty Image News via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
DeSantis only needed a few moments to show how Gavin Newsom has destroyed his state. Among the countless Californians fleeing their disastrous life out West was none other than Newsom's father-in-law, a testament to how bad things have become under the liberal regime. It's not hard to debate a governor whose streets are unsanitary and whose family members want to live in a red state.
Democratic narrative
While he could have easily done so when facing such a far-right, fringe politician like DeSantis, Newsom wasn't there to defend his own record. Newsom's goal was to defend his party's success at the national level in comparison to the dangerous, failing campaign of DeSantis. Newsom was spot on when he said he'd take a 100-year-old Joe Biden over Florida's leader any day.
Cynical narrative
The timing of the DeSantis vs. Newsome debate is interesting because Trump and Biden are both incredibly unpopular and contingency plans are lacking in the party establishments of the Democrats and the GOP alike. If either Trump or Biden collapses at the top of their tickets, there could be cascading election effects on the Senate, Congress, and beyond. This debate may have been a wake-up call to both parties to be less unserious about a Plan B.