In what appears to be a blatant attention grab by both politicians, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have agreed to debate one another on live television later this fall. Given the fact that the two aren’t actually competing head-to-head in an election, it’s a somewhat confusing event and one that is ultimately an opportunity for both to raise their national profiles and score some political points.
A debate like this is rare: It’s not common that politicians who aren’t running against one another would attempt to do such a public face-off. Although DeSantis is vying for the 2024 Republican nomination, Newsom has already expressed his support for President Joe Biden and said he won’t be running this cycle.
That said, both politicians clearly feel like they have something to gain from this spectacle. For Newsom, who first proposed this debate in September 2022, it’s a chance to directly confront Republicans and to buoy his political ambitions down the line. For DeSantis, it’s an attempt to try to get a breakout moment and deflect the attention from Trump as his 2024 presidential campaign has continued to stall.
“I think for both of them, it’s simply a chance to get attention,” says David Barker, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. “DeSantis has a lot more to lose, because if he fares poorly he might as well go home. But right now, he has to take chances because if nothing changes he’s going to go down in flames to Trump.”
Why are Newsom and DeSantis debating?
The short answer is that this gives both Newsom and DeSantis a way to increase their national profiles and a platform to appear as fighters for their respective parties. Additionally, it builds on a longstanding feud between the two, which has been simmering for months as Newsom has confronted DeSantis over discriminatory rhetoric toward minorities and women, and lax policies on gun control.
As…
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