Officially on the sidelines for now, Gov. Newsom is acting he’s running for president – like visiting China in October to talk about climate change, and running attack ads against DeSantis – but he has not officially announced a presidential campaign for the Democrat nomination.
President Joe Biden remains the presumed Democratic nominee for 2024 in spite of sagging poll numbers and the natural effects of age on a man who turned 81 this week.
NBC News reported in late August that some of Biden’s top advisors see Newsom as a nuisance. So does his vice president, Kamala Harris, who herself may seek the 2028 nomination.
Critics aside, Newsom will debate DeSantis next Wednesday at 9 p.m. E.T. Fox News will air it and Fox show host Sean Hannity will moderate.
“I think this debate will be an opportunity for all of American to see what the next generation of leadership can look like,” Robert Salvador, Digibuild CEO and a DeSantis supporter, said on American Family Radio Tuesday.
It will certainly have a different look.
Biden faces minimal primary competition from Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minnesota), and Trump has been way out in front of the GOP primary field since day one.
Biden turned 81 this week, and Trump, who has debated no one because of his frontrunner status, will turn 80 in office if elected.
In spite of his legal challenges, Trump has maintained a large lead in GOP primary polling. In the most recent average of poll results, he surpassed 60% of the vote for the first time. DeSantis has a poll average of 13.2%.
Biden’s not the only old guy in the race
DeSantis is making age an issue not only for the incumbent president but for Trump, too.
“This is not the same guy as the Trump in 2015 and ’16,” DeSantis told CNN earlier this month. “That Trump would show up on the debate stage, he would barnstorm. Now he’s wedded to the teleprompter, he’s not willing to debate, and he’s running on many of the same things he promised to do in 2016 and didn’t deliver.”
“I think across the board there is concern with having leaders or with having two presidential candidates who are 80 years old or above – or would be 80 in this next presidential term,” Salvador told show host Jenna Ellis. “I heard Gov. DeSantis in one of his interviews the other day talk about how airline pilots have to retire after 65 just for safety reasons. It’s science that our brains start to break down a little bit at that age."
California vs. Florida
In a comparison of two U.S. states, Florida’s budget for fiscal year 2023-24 included $2.7 billion in tax relief, savings for taxpayers made possible by a surplus of over $20 billion.
Californians pay the nation’s fifth-most in taxes of state and local income according to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan group in Washington, D.C.
Florida's census figures show The Sunshine State is also welcoming new residents from other states, including from California, while California is losing population and lost a congressional seat in 2020.
Salvador believes DeSantis’ fiscal and social record in Florida will be a strength for him in the debate with Newsom.
“Once people hear him talk about policy, and they hear his command of these issues, and are reminded of all the things that he's done in Florida, they get reminded of all the promises he's made that he kept, people are impressed. I think any opportunity he gets to talk to the American people is a good thing.
“The debate with Gavin Newsom will be a great opportunity for the American people in general to see what the next generation of leadership can do,” Salvador said.
The anti-woke Florida Revival
Critics says the DeSantis campaign is too focused on an “anti-woke” message.
DeSantis in May signed a bill to defund Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at Florida’s public universities.
He has signed bills banning gender-manipulation procedures for minors, banning trans people from restrooms that are opposite their biological sex and that restrict drag shows in the presence of minors.
These moves are “what many can describe as revival in Florida,” Salvador said. “You’ve got that great economy down there. Gov. DeSantis has taken action in the schools to protect children from this woke indoctrination and DEI, things like that. We've seen him be strong on immigration. We've seen him be strong removing the deep state. (The debate) is a great opportunity for him to remind people of that.”
Salvador believes DeSantis will shine in a setting that removes multiple candidates shouting over each other or shunning questions for their own messaging, a criticism of Trump-less GOP debates so far.
“This one on Nov. 30 with Gov. DeSantis and Gavin Newsom will be a great chance to hear two people who have a vision that might be different than what’s currently going on in the U.S., and I think Gov. DeSantis will perform really well on that. I’m excited to hear him,” Salvador said.
