DeSantis vs Newsom face off on abortion, transgenderism, wokeness and more

Screenshot from DeSantis campaign website

While the debate between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom was unfolding on Fox News, the DeSantis campaign unveiled merchandise poking fun at Newsom for the state of San Francisco's streets.

"Thinking about visiting California?" the DeSantis campaign's website said. "You're going to need a pair of these. Order your California walking socks before you're dodging feces in San Francisco!"

The socks, which cost $37 on the campaign's website, were a reference to an exchange between the two governors related to which of their state's is the most free.

"Gavin Newsom, at one point tried to say that California was the freedom state. I just kind of laugh like you're locking people down you're doing all this but then I thought about it, California does have freedoms," DeSantis said on the debate stage.

"California does have freedoms that some people don't, that other states don't. You have the freedom to defecate in public In California, you have the freedom to pitch a tent on Sunset Boulevard. You have the freedom to create a homeless encampment under a freeway and even light it on fire. You have the freedom to have an open air drug market and use drugs. You have a freedom if you're an illegal alien to get all these taxpayer benefits. So those are freedoms. They're not the freedoms our founding fathers envisioned, but they have contributed to the destruction of the quality of life in California and the results speak for themselves."

Gov. Newsom responded by sarcastically saying he "loves" DeSantis's "rant'" on freedom."Here's a guy who's criminalizing teachers, criminalizing doctors, criminalizing librarians, and criminalizing women that seek their reproductive care," Newsom said. "You're making it harder to vote. You're banning books. I mean, spare me this notion of freedom."

During the debate, DeSantis held up a photo of a map showing all the spots where feces was reported by residents on San Francisco streets.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Gavin Newsom defended President Biden's cognitive abilities despite polls showing a majority of Americans viewing him as too old to run for re-election.

"I will take Joe Biden at 100 versus Ron DeSantis any day of the week at any age," Newsom said.

DeSantis jumped in asking Newsom if he thought Biden was up to the job.

Newsom began to say "absolutely," but stopped himself and said, "I've been spending plenty of time with Joe Biden, in private and public. And, by the way, results matter."

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., made high-stakes trips to both Israel and China that fueled future presidential speculation, though he told Fox News' Sean Hannity Thursday night that he will not be running.

The high-profile Democrat traveled to Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas, visitng with Californians who survived the attack.

"This trip builds up his credentials," seasoned Democratic communicator and strategist Chris Moyer, a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns, noted. "It could pay dividends for him later."

Newsom then traveled to China to talk climate change and target areas where California and the country can team up to reduce global warming emissions — including a focus on electric vehicles, high-speed rail, and offshore wind energy.

Despite his recent ventures sparking rumors of a potential 2024 presidential bid, Newsom continues to rally behind Biden in his re-election efforts.

Newsom has repeatedly emphasized his support for Biden’s re-election and has stressed it is time Democrats rally around the president.

"President Biden is going to run, and [I’m] looking forward to getting him re-elected. I think there’s been so much wallowing in the last few months, and hand-wringing in this respect. But we’re gearing up for the campaign," Newsom recently said during an NBC News interview.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' "cultural purge" of books is demeaning to parents.

"You want to roll back hard-earned national rights on voting rights, on civil rights, and LGBTQ rights, on women's rights, not just access to abortion, but also access to contraception. You want to weaponize grievance, you are focusing on false separateness. You in particular run on a banning binge, a cultural purge, intimidating and humiliating people," Newsom said.

"We actually require parental engagement on curriculum development, and we don't completely lie. We don't require K through third grade sexual education. That doesn't happen till middle school. What you're doing is using education as a sword for your cultural purge," he added.

DeSantis said in response that "everything should be age appropriate."

"So this is a book that's in some of the schools in California, Florida. This is not consistent with our standards called gender queer. It's some of it's blacked out. You would not probably be able to put this on air. This is pornography. It's cartoons. It's aimed at children and it's wrong. So this should not be in schools when people like on the left say that is not age appropriate," DeSantis said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom while the two debated on Thursday night after Newsom called California a "freedom state."

"Gavin Newsom, at one point tried to say that California was the freedom state. I just kind of laugh like you're locking people down you're doing all this but then I thought about it, California does have freedoms," DeSantis said on the debate stage.

"California does have freedoms that some people don't, that other states don't. You have the freedom to defecate in public In California, you have the freedom to pitch a tent on Sunset Boulevard. You have the freedom to create a homeless encampment under a freeway and even light it on fire. You have the freedom to have an open air drug market and use drugs. You have a freedom if you're an illegal alien to get all these taxpayer benefits. So those are freedoms. They're not the freedoms our founding fathers envisioned, but they have contributed to the destruction of the quality of life in California and the results speak for themselves."

Gov. Newsom responded by sarcastically saying he "loves" DeSantis's "rant'" on freedom.

"Here's a guy who's criminalizing teachers, criminalizing doctors, criminalizing librarians, and criminalizing women that seek their reproductive care," Newsom said. "You're making it harder to vote. You're banning books. I mean, spare me this notion of freedom."

Gavin Newsom interrupted Ron DeSantis during a discussion on school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic to scold him for how he pronounced Vice President Kamala Harris' first name.

"And by the way, it's not Kamala Harris. Shame on you. It's Kamala Harris, Ron. It's Kamala Harris, Madame Vice President to you. Kamala Harris," Newsom said, pointing to what he described as the correct way to pronounce "Kamala."

"Stop insulting," he added.

While clashing on public safety, DeSantis accused Newsom of prioritizing the interests of criminals over the everyday citizens of his state.

"When Californians come to Florida it's almost like an out-of-body experience. They can go to the store, get toothpaste off the shelf, pay for it and leave," DeSantis said.

"In a lot of these places in California, everything is under lock and key because they've basically legalized retail theft. They have chosen, in California, to put the interests of criminals over public safety," he said.

"They're easier on all these crimes that lead to a collapse in the quality of life," he added.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed Gavin Newsom for claiming he's trying to protect the Mexico-California border.

Newsom said that he is in favor of increased border security, to which DeSantis responded "You're just making things up."

"I'll tell you what, it's deja vu all over again with that flurry of lies. This is a guy that says the Biden administration is not lying to the public about the border. They go to the White House briefing room every day. They say the border secure. They are lying to you," DeSantis said.

Earlier, DeSantis said that Gavin Newsom along with President Biden had a vision of "open borders."

"They are poisoning our people, and Joe Biden is sitting on his hands. He refuses to take care of the border. He refuses to hold the drug cartels accountable," DeSantis said.

Ron DeSantis argued that Gavin Newsom, along with President Biden and Vice President Harris, had a vision of "open borders" for the U.S., contributing to things like the rise in fentanyl deaths.

"They are poisoning our people, and Joe Biden is sitting on his hands. He refuses to take care of the border. He refuses to hold the drug cartels accountable," DeSantis said.

"This is the vision of Biden-Harris-Newsom: Open borders, Americans suffer and Americans continue to die because of fentanyl overdoses. There will be, unfortunately, a terrorist attack at some point that we'll be able to trace back to our southern border," he added.

Newsom used a segment of the debate focused on border security to rip DeSantis for "trolling" and playing "political games" with the migrant crisis while also taunting him for trailing former President Donald Trump by a significant margin in his home state of Florida.

"I support border security. I think the asylum system is broken. I'm the only guy here who is a border state governor. You're trolling folks and trying to find migrants to play political games to try and get some news and attention so you can out-Trump Trump," Newsom said.

"And by the way, how's that going for you Ron? You're down 41 points in your own home state," he added.

Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

California has some of the toughest gun laws in the U.S., requiring all sales and transfers – even from gun shows or private transfers – to pass through a licensed California dealer and undergo a 10-day waiting period.

No one in California under 21 may buy a gun, with a few exceptions such as active state or federal law enforcement officers, hunting-license holders, and/or active duty or honorably discharged military. 

Non-citizens must prove legal residence and registration to own a gun. Any resident must apply with local law enforcement for a concealed carry weapon license and carry permits from other states are not valid in California.

Californians are restricted to one handgun purchase per 30-day period and ammunition magazines able to hold more than 10 rounds are generally illegal unless owned in-state prior to Jan. 1, 2000.

Anyone convicted of infractions listed on the Bureau of Firearms website or held involuntarily as a danger to themself or others cannot buy or own firearms or ammunition. 

Fox News

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom of being "joined at the hip" with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

"I'll give Gavin credit. He did at least admit in his first answer he's joined at the hip with Biden and Harris. He thinks Biden and Harris have done a great job, he thinks the economy is working because of their policies for Americans, and they are not," DeSantis said.

He was referencing Newsom's opening statement in which he said he was there to set the record straight about the Biden administration's accomplishments.

"And so, what California represents is the Biden-Harris agenda on steroids. They'd love nothing more than to get four more years to be able to take the California model nationally. That would be disastrous for working people," DeSantis added.

A liberal columnist posted a column in the Washington Post calling California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s alleged "shadow campaign" a "patriotic" move and slammed the Democratic Party for the "reckless gamble" of moving forward with President Biden in 2024.

"Here’s the reality: Whether you like Biden or not (I do, and I’m pretty sure Newsom does, too), the Democratic Party right now is taking a shockingly reckless gamble with the country’s future," journalist Matt Bai wrote in the Washington Post on Wednesday, the day before the highly anticipated debate between Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Bai outlines the recent prominent moves made by Newsom that have led to accusations from many  on both sides of the aisle that Newsom is running a "shadow campaign" to step in for Biden as questions continue to grow about his age. 

Bai then slams Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman , who publicly defended Biden’s re-election and dismissed Newsom’s potential challenge. Fetterman said earlier this year that Newsom doesn’t have the "guts" to admit he’s running and said anyone going against Biden is writing a "check for Trump."

At the start of the Fox News debate on "Hannity" Thursday night, Newsom again denied running a shadow campaign. "The one thing we have in common is neither of us will be our party's nominee in 2024," Newsom told DeSantis.

Getty Images

Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom began Thursday's debate by throwing shade at Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by telling him that neither of the men would be their respective party's nominee for president in 2024.

"There's one thing ... that we have in common is that neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024," Newsom said.

DeSantis has consistently trailed former President Donald Trump in the race for the Republican nomination, at times even coming in third.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom sparred over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic during the debate on "Hannity" Thursday.

DeSantis has touted his state’s record on handling the COVID-19 pandemic well before officially hitting the 2024 campaign trail.

"We were the leading state fighting against coronavirus lockdowns," DeSantis recounted in a summer 2021 interview with Fox News. "I believe had Florida not done that, you would see the other states to have followed Canada, for example, [which] is still locked down."

Defying federal guidance, in September of 2020 DeSantis lifted Florida’s ban on nursing home visits, saying it was important to let family in to offer emotional support to sick loved ones.

Nursing home patients “would just like to be able to say goodbye or to hug somebody," DeSantis said at the time, fighting back tears. "It's difficult to think that some of our actions may have prevented that."

In September 2023, DeSantis said he would not fund COVID-19 booster vaccines if elected president, promising first a "reckoning" when it comes to pandemic policies.

Thomas Phippen contributed reporting.

California Highway Patrol via Facebook

Violent crime in California has skyrocketed under Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom's watch.

Data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in early October shows that violent crime has decreased nationwide by 1.7 percent since 2019. But it has seen a drastic uptick in some cities and states, including California. 

In fact, the statistics show that violent crime is up 13% in the Golden State since 2019, when Newsom assumed office, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"Mr. Newsom touts California’s strict gun-control laws, but at least a fifth of its aggravated assaults last year were committed with a knife or blunt object," the publication reported. "Many of the state’s violent offenses are perpetrated by mentally ill or drug-addicted people living on the streets. Mr. Newsom himself was assaulted in 2021 by a homeless man in Oakland."

Meanwhile, in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis assumed office at the same time as Newsom in 2019, violent crime has fallen by 31.5% over the same period. 

The influential evangelical leader of a top social conservative organization in Iowa endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday.

Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader organization, announced his personal endorsement of DeSantis in an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News' "Special Report."

"We need to find somebody who can win in 2024," Vander Plaats said, pointing to the 2022 midterms, where an anticipated "red wave" never materialized for most of the country. DeSantis, however, won re-election in Florida by a wide margin.

Vander Plaats is a top social conservative leader in a state where evangelical voters play an outsized role in Republican politics. Vander Plaats backed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania in 2012, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2016 – all three of whom went on to win the Iowa caucuses, but failed to capture the GOP presidential nomination.

The big question going forward is whether the Reynolds and Vander Plaats endorsements of DeSantis, and the surprise backing of Haley by Popma, can make a dent in Trump's commanding lead over the rest of the field.

AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET

California Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to China in late October for a trip that was touted as an opportunity for him to talk about issues like climate change and the American fentanyl crisis with top Chinese leaders.

"I’m here in expectation, as you suggest, of turning the page, of renewing our friendship and reengaging (on) foundational and fundamental issues that will determine our collective faith in the future," Newsom said in brief opening remarks ahead of his meeting with Wang Yi, China's top diplomat.

Newsom's visit was highlighted by a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Newsom and Xi discussed ways to "accelerate our progress on climate in meaningful and substantive ways," the California governor said at a news conference, but did not mention more specifics. Newsom said they also talked about fentanyl, a synthetic drug and leading killer of young people in the U.S., and China’s role in "combating" the transnational shipping of precursor chemicals. Yet, Republican members of Congress have charged Beijing is fueling the flow of the chemicals cartels have pouring across the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Newsom's visit renewed accusations that he is running a "shadow campaign" for president to step in the 2024 race in case President Biden decides not to run.

Cities in California have consistently ranked among the dirtiest in the United States, a problem Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has previously acknowledged. 

"The state is too damn dirty," Newsome declared in 2021 when he proposed the state budget. But the state's cleanliness appears to have not improved since that time.

According to Lawnstarter, which looks at 150 of the biggest cities each year and compares their pollution, living conditions, infrastructure and consumer satisfaction, many cities in the Golden State sit at the top of the list.

Seven of its cities are ranked in the top 20 dirtiest of 2023, including San Bernardino, which sat in the third spot; Bakersfield, which sat in the seventh spot; and Fresno, which sat in the eighth spot.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is ranked the 15th dirtiest, while Modesta and Palmdale fell right after it. 

Overall, California had the most cities among the top 20 dirtiest.

The most recent poll of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s popularity showed him with an all-time low approval rating.

The late October poll, published on Tuesday by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, showed Newsom with 44% approval. He is down 11 points from February.

Nearly half of registered voters polled said they disapproved of Newsom's performance, a 10% rise since February and an all-time high. 

The poll states that Newsom's "recent actions in taking a much more active role in national Democratic politics appear to be related to his recent decline as voters here hold decidedly mixed views about his taking on this role at a time when California is facing increasing budgetary challenges and is dealing with a host of other pressing problems."

A Morning Consult poll published the week prior showed Newsom with a 56% approval rating and a 38% disapproval rating.

Campaign for Democracy is a political action committee (PAC) launched by Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year to boost his party in red states ahead of the 2024 elections.

Newsom launched the PAC using millions of dollars left over from his 2022 campaign for governor, when he easily won re-election against a little-known Republican opponent. 

In a March video announcing the committee, Newsom pledged to take on "authoritarian leaders" he says are "directly attacking our freedoms," including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Following its launch, Newsom traveled to Republican-leaning states, including Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi, in his first round of support for local Democrats.

Newsom's travels boosted rumors of his presidential aspirations as voters, according to polls, increasingly began to view Biden as too old to run for re-election. The governor has since expressed his support for Biden's re-election campaign.

Fox News' Houston Keene and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Fox News

The fierce rivalry between Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom takes center stage Thursday, but what should viewers expect to see during the televised clash?

Hosted by Fox News’s Sean Hannity, “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate” comes after nearly two years of the big-state rivals trading jabs on everything from COVID policy to the economy.

While designed to showcase each governor’s competing vision for leading their states, governor it will also give DeSantis a chance at the national spotlight as he makes his case for the 2024 GOP nomination. The second-term Florida governor is likely to use the opportunity to make an appeal primary voters, while Newsom will champion his liberal vision.

"They’re perfect foils for one another,” longtime Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News ahead of the debate. “They both lead some of the biggest states in the country. They both have very prominent roles in their respective parties, and they both love attention.”

Office of the Governor of California via AP

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET.

The televised debate between California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis comes a little more than a month after Newsom made visits to China and Israel.

The two-term California governor with a rising national profile made a quick stop in Israel in October to show support for the country amid its war with Hamas. After that, he traveled to China, where Newsom reportedly discussed climate change with the world's most populous nation.

The trip, only his second international tour in his official capacity as California governor, carried plenty of risks and rewards for Newsom, who's viewed by many pundits as a likely future presidential contender.

While in Israel, the governor huddled with Californians and others who survived the horrific assault by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, which was the deadliest attack on Israel in half a century.

"Today, I met with a Californian who was shot during a missile and grenade attack. She covered herself among dead people to survive. After hours of endless terror, she was rescued and transported to a hospital," Newsom wrote in a social media posting, as he described his visit to a hospital in Tel Aviv.

Newsom also described meeting a mother whose son, a Californian, is being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. He also spotlighted that he "hugged a girl — another Californian, born in Los Angeles — who was shot in the leg by Hamas and left for dead, in truly horrific conditions."

Amid his visit to the Jewish State, Newsom’s office noted in a release that "the State of California is working to ship medical supplies to support humanitarian relief efforts in Israel and Gaza."

In China, Newsom targeted areas where California and China can team up to reduce global warming emissions — including a focus on electric vehicles, high-speed rail, and offshore wind energy.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this update.

Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images

In October, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the so-called California Food Safety Act, a bill originally dubbed a “Skittles ban” by critics, but which was later revised to protect the popular candy.

The legislation, known formally as Assembly Bill 418, prohibits any food product sold, delivered or distributed in California from containing brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3, ingredients linked to negative health outcomes. 

The original version of the bill had been characterized as a “Skittles ban” since the list of chemicals banned previously included an additive that gives Skittles candy their color, according to CalMatters. However, the version signed by Newsom didn't include that Skittles additive, though the chemicals banned are included in other popular sweets.

“Californians trust that the food products they consume are safe. I appreciate the author and stakeholders for working on amendments, which advance our shared public health objectives while maintaining consumer choice," Newsom said on Oct. 7. "The additives addressed in this bill are already banned in various other countries.”

“Signing this into law is a positive step forward on these four food additives until the United States Food and Drug Administration reviews and establishes national updated safety levels for these additives,” he added.

The law will begin to be implemented in 2027, giving food manufacturers roughly three years to comply with the new regulations and remove banned chemicals from their products.

David McNew/Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was far from the Golden State late last month, as he traveled from the Middle East to the Far East on a high-stakes overseas trip that fueled future presidential speculation.

The two-term California governor with a rising national profile made a quick stop in Israel, amid the Jewish State's war with Hamas.

Then it was on to China, where Newsom discussed climate change with leaders of the world's most populous nation.

The stop in China, in particular, was a delicate dance for the governor, who as a top surrogate on behalf of President Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign, needed to make sure he didn't disrupt fragile relations between the administration in Washington and the communist regime in Beijing.

The trip, only his second international tour in his official capacity as California governor, carried plenty of risks and rewards for Newsom, who's viewed by many pundits as a likely future presidential contender.

And the overseas stops fueled further accusations from Republicans that the telegenic 56-year-old Newsom is running a 2024 shadow campaign for the presidency, should something happen to the 81-year-old Biden.

This week, Newsom heads out of state again, this time to Georgia, where he'll face off with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, in a debate on Fox News Channel debate moderated by prime-time host Sean Hannity.

(Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is continuing his tour of Iowa after earning an endorsement for president from the state’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds. 

"Iowa shows that it can be done. Florida shows that it can be done. If you look, Republicans haven't done very well recently in recent elections. We don't have as many success stories as we should have. But these are two states to show that it actually can be done. And how do you do it? Well, I think you got to do a few things. One, you got to fight for people. Two, you got to win for people. And three, you gotta be willing to lead especially when things are not easy."

DeSantis added that under a potential presidential administration, he will make America "more prosperous, and we will have left her to the next generation better than we found her."

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently earned two key Iowa endorsements as he continues to push campaign resources into the state, a move that political experts tell Fox News Digital is an "all in" strategy as he looks to upset former President Trump in an uphill battle that could make or break his presidential ambitions next year.

"Americans like winners and want to be part of winning," David Avella, chairman of GOPAC and a veteran Republican strategist, told Fox News Digital. "History tells us that the nominee will be the individual who wins at least two of the first three contests. While history also tells us that an Iowa victory is not essential, it is clear that Team DeSantis is seeking a victory to counter the inevitability of former President Trump being nominated again.

If DeSantis is to make a late surge, GOP strategist Alex Conant said a "strong third" or "distant second" "isn’t going to cut it against Trump," especially with DeSantis polling as low as fifth in New Hampshire and South Carolina being strong states for Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

iStock

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation earlier this year that would have prohibited health plans in the state from imposing a copayment of more than $35 for a 30-day supply of insulin.

Newsom explained that he rejected the bill because it would have led to higher costs for consumers through higher health insurance premiums, largely echoing the insurance industry which opposed the bill. He also pointed to a state program he announced in March which aims to provide insulin at an affordable price for residents.

"Bringing down the costs of prescription drugs, and particularly insulin, has long been a priority of mine," Newsom said on Oct. 7. "People should not be forced to go into debt to get lifesaving medicines."

"With copay caps, however, the long-term costs are still passed down to consumers through higher premiums from health plans," he explained. "As a state, we have led the nation in our efforts and investments to address the true underlying costs of insulin prescription affordability."

In March, the governor announced a partnership with Civica Rx, a nonprofit generic drug company, to create the state's own line of CalRx biosimilar insulins that will cost at most $30 per 10mL vial. The program, according to Newsom, is designed to be a “true sustainable solution to high-cost pharmaceuticals.”

However, the program has yet to produce a single vial of the medication as of October when Newsom vetoed the legislation, CalMatters reported.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom have four children together.

Their daughters, Montana and Brooklynn, are 14 and 10. Their sons Hunter and Dutch are 12 and 7.

Newsom caused a stir in November 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when his children returned to in-person classes at their private school, while many schools across the country remained shut. 

Remote schooling during the pandemic has been blamed for learning loss and stunted social skills among some children.

Their school was one of 400 statewide to receive a waiver that September allowing them to return to in-person classes.

Newsom subsequently took heat for claiming during a CNN interview the following March that he was a “Zoom” parent.

“I've been a strong advocate for safely getting our kids back in person for instruction,” Newsom said at the time. “I have four young kids myself, I've been living through Zoom school and all the challenge related to it.”

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File

One possible line of attack for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could be his rival’s pandemic-era dining scandal at a swanky Napa Valley restaurant called French Laundry.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom faced a mountain of political backlash in November 2020 when he was photographed at a dinner party for a longtime adviser, seemingly violating the same health measures he was calling on his state to practice. It came just as California officials moved to keep Thanksgiving holiday travel and gatherings at a minimum to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Newsom and the party of 12 did not break the restaurant’s safety protocols, but even the liberal governor admitted that he made a bad decision in going just as he was urging Californians to limit their family gatherings for the holiday.

“It was a terrible mistake. It wasn’t illegal, it was wrong. And I totally violated the spirit of what I was preaching, and it was wrong, and I own that. I own that,” Newsom said on “Hannity” in June.

Earlier this month, California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom falsely claimed that a Tennessee city prohibited individuals from being gay in public.

"A city in Tennessee has banned being gay in public," Newsom posted to X on Nov. 16 while linking to a New Republic article. "This is just the beginning. We have to call this out."

The article Newsom linked, 'A City in Tennessee Banned Public Homosexuality—and We All Missed It,' wrote of how Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in June "passed ordinance essentially prohibiting homosexuality in public to try to ban library books that might violate the new rules" and referenced section 21-72 of the city code, which the New Republic said "includes homosexuality."

The ordinance tackled "indecent behavior," and the code was amended in October to exclude the term "homosexuality" from its definition regarding inappropriate sexual conduct, the Daily Wire reported. 

The referenced section of the city code concerns "exposing minors to harmful materials" and explicitly cites the likes of nudity and sexual conduct, which it describes as "acts of masturbation, sexual intercourse, or physical contact with a person's clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks or, if such person be a female, breast," according to the document. 

It also includes "sexual excitement," which it defines as "the condition of human male or female genitals when in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal," and "Sado-masochistic abuse," meaning "flagellation or torture by or upon a person clad in undergarments, a mask or bizarre costume, or the condition of being fettered, bound or otherwise physically restrained on the part of one so clothed,” the document states.

President Joe Biden told a group of world leaders that California Gov. Gavin Newsom "could have the job I’m looking for" if he wanted.

During a November welcome reception for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders in San Francisco, Biden praised Newsom before making the eyebrow-raising comment.

"I want to talk about Governor Newsom. I want to thank him. He’s been one hell of a governor, man," Biden said Wednesday during a welcome reception for APEC. "Matter of fact, he could be anything he wants. He could have the job I’m looking for."

Biden made the comments about Newsom at "the most significant event with world leaders in San Francisco in recent history," according to the APEC 2023 website for the event.

Newsom recently elevated rumors of running a "shadow campaign" after making at trip to Israel during its war with Hamas, and then heading to China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Democrat said he will not run against Biden in 2024, but low approval ratings among voters have prompted increased concerns within the party over the strength of his re-election campaign.

"Real Time host" Bill Maher applauded Rep. Dean Phillips for jumping into the Democratic primary race against President Joe Biden, asserting that other potential contenders are not being as upfront about their ambitions.

"I endorsed the idea," Maher said in a sit down with Phillips, "because I did an editorial a couple weeks ago calling [Biden] Ruth Bader Biden. And look, we both struggle with the same thing. We like Joe Biden, right? And we think he's done a good job. Ruth Bader Ginsburg did a good job and did not know when to quit, and that's why you're here."

"And it's not like others are doing this in a — sort of a — shadow campaign," Maher later said. "I mean, Gavin Newsom, our governor, seems to be all over the world."

Republican and Democrat members of congress have also accused Newsom of running a "shadow campaign" amid recent international trips to China and Israel.

Charles Creitz

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET

The televised debate between Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom is being held roughly 30 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia.

Presented by FOX News Channel’s Sean Hannity, the debate, titled “DeSantis vs. Newsom: The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate,” will be held Thursday evening in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Georgia, a one-time red state that's become a top general election battleground between the two major political parties, will serve as the location of the debate between the two popular governors who have outsized national profiles, run the nation’s first and third most populous states, and overwhelmingly won gubernatorial re-elections last year.

The debate, according to a press release, will “examine the vastly different approaches the two governors have and offer insights into their political philosophies as well as ambitions for the nation."

Presented without an audience, the debate will also cover an array of topics, including the economy, the border, immigration, crime, and inflation.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this update.

REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is leading a state which shares a border with Mexico, and therefore has been on the frontlines of the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border.

In September, Newsom announced an increase in deployment of California National Guard service members by 50% from 40-60 soldiers across the California ports of entry. 

He said the moves were to stop the movement of illicit drugs like fentanyl -- which he described as a “deadly poison ripping families and communities apart.”

When it comes to the migrant crisis, Newsom has backed the sweeping immigration reform bill introduced by President Biden in 2021 -- which includes a massive pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

He has also blamed Republicans, calling for them to do more to solve the crisis.

“California has invested roughly $1 billion over the past three years to support the health and safety of migrants as well as the surrounding border communities, but we cannot continue to do this work alone,” he said last year. “It is long past time for Republicans in Congress to engage on real solutions to meet the public safety, public health and humanitarian issues at our border and in our immigration system.”

However, he was also deeply critical of moves by Florida to transport migrants to his state -- calling on the DOJ to investigate the flights to Sacramento. His administration claimed the flights were illegal and exploitative.

Florida has denied those claims, saying migrants had consented and were flown voluntarily.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval rating with the people of his state hit an all-time low earlier this month, according to a poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, which was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

The poll found that just 44% of registered voters in California approve of Newsom's job as governor, down 11 points from February. A total 49% said they disapproved of his performance, a 10 point rise since February and an all-time high. 

The worsening approval rating comes as Newsom continues to face accusations that he is running a "shadow" presidential campaign as a backup plan to President Biden in 2024.

The poll stated that Newsom's "recent actions in taking a much more active role in national Democratic politics appear to be related to his recent decline as voters here hold decidedly mixed views about his taking on this role at a time when California is facing increasing budgetary challenges and is dealing with a host of other pressing problems."

Additionally, a March Quinnipiac University poll found that 70% of California voters, including a majority of Democrats, do not think Newsom should make a bid for the White House next fall, with only 22% hoping he would eventually get into the race.

Fox News' Aubrie Spady and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report. 

Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., said he would not be running against President Joe Biden in 2024 during his appearance at the second Republican presidential debate in Southern California.

Newsom attended the debate as a high-profile surrogate on behalf of President Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign, attempting to shut down rumors he is considering a primary bid against the president.

Fox News host Sean Hannity repeatedly asked Newsom following the debate if he would run for president in 2024 "under any circumstances." Newsom responded "of course not," and said that he is looking forward to Biden's second inauguration.

Newsom’s moves have positioned him as a leading voice in the Democratic Party at a time of rising concerns among Democrats over the 80-year-old president’s political durability, his negative approval ratings and new polls that indicate former President Donald Trump — the commanding front-runner right now for the GOP nomination — is leading in hypothetical general election matchups.

Rebecca S. Gratz for The Washington Post via Getty Images

As he runs for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been heavily supported by Never Back Down.

The DeSantis-aligned super PAC has taken over many of the traditional responsibilities handled by campaigns, including staffing and organization, grassroots outreach, and event coordination.

But last week, a new DeSantis-aligned super PAC launched, with a mission to target 2024 GOP presidential rival Nikki Haley with attack ads.  

Haley, a former South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in former President Donald Trump's administration, has soared in polling in recent months and is currently battling DeSantis for second place in the early voting states. But both DeSantis and Haley remain far behind Trump, the commanding front-runner in the Republican presidential nomination race as he makes his third straight White House run.

The formation of the new super PAC named Fight Right came in the wake of increased turmoil in DeSantis' political orbit that included sharp differences of opinion among top Never Back Down officials.

The two super PACs are expected to work alongside each other in the weeks ahead leading up to the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, which kick off the GOP presidential nominating calendar.

Getty Images

Social media posts looking at the often overlapping relationships of political families have claimed that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Nancy Pelosi are related – specifically that the Democratic former House speaker is the current governor’s aunt.

Social media has a tendency to exaggerate facts, and this is no exception: Newsom and Pelosi do share a connection, but it is not one of blood.

Nonprofit outlet Calmatters traced the connections between the families of former California Gov. Jerry Brown, Pelosi , Newsom and American businessman Gordon Getty. The group found that Belinda Barbara Newsom, Newsom’s aunt, married Ron Pelosi, the former speaker’s brother-in-law, making two degrees of separation and one failed marriage between them.

Belinda Barbara Newsom and Ron Pelosi divorced in 1977, and Belinda died in 2008 at the age of 73. President Jimmy Carter had appointed her in 1980 to represent the U.S. at the United Nations, according to SFGate.com. 

Fox News

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has long been at political odds with his Republican Florida counterpart Ron DeSantis, attacking him for his leadership during the pandemic and into election season. 

Newsom and DeSantis have become two of the most prominent governors in America, and differ wildly on political issues ranging from the Second Amendment to reopening their states during the pandemic. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Newsom has repeatedly slammed DeSantis as a “weak candidate” who will be defeated by former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary, while touting California as the "true freedom state.”

“He’s taking his eye off the ball,” Newsom told the Associated Press of DeSantis this summer. “And that’s not inconsistent with my own assessment of him, which is he is a weak candidate, and he is undisciplined and will be crushed by Donald Trump, and will soon be in third or fourth in national polls."

Newsom argued in September that DeSantis is “functionally authoritarian” while discussing “Trumpism” and the threat “autocracy” poses to the U.S.

The California governor’s attacks stretch back to the pandemic, arguing that if he had followed DeSantis’ move to reopen schools and the economy, and not enforce mask and vaccine mandates, an additional “40,000 more Californians” would have died. 

“I do not look for inspiration to that particular governor … to not only the pandemic, but to other policy, including the absurdity that was his ‘woke’ initiative and the laughability around stopping something that doesn't exist, around critical race theory — just playing in and placating the right-wing punditry,” Newsom told Yahoo News last year. “It’s the CPAC primary. It’s rather absurd. And that's why I respectfully submit that so much of this is pure performance.”

Newsom has also slammed DeSantis for his abortion policies, including in an ad this month via a voiceover that said Florida lacks “freedom” for banning abortions after six weeks.  He also claimed DeSantis is “scared to death” after signing a constitutional carry law in April, which allows eligible citizens 21 years of age and up to carry without asking the government for a permit and without paying a fee.

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is going head-to-head with his fellow state executive, Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a debate set for Thursday night on Hannity.

The sparring match between the two governors will touch on the most pressing issues facing Americans ahead of the 2024 presidential election, likely including the issue of abortion.

DeSantis presents a political foil to Newsom on abortion: the California governor is a vehement pro-choice advocate while the Florida governor is staunchly pro-life.

In April of this year, the Republican presidential candidate signed into Florida state law a six-week abortion ban, named the Heartbeat Protection Act.

The bill drew praise from pro-life Americans while weathering rebukes from pro-choice Americans as well as former President Trump — who called it a “terrible thing and a terrible mistake” in September.

"Anytime he did a deal with Democrats, whether it was on budget, whether it was on the criminal justice ‘First Step Act,’ they ended up taking him to the cleaners,” DeSantis responded to the former president.

“And so, I think if he’s going into this thing, he’s gonna make the Democrats happy with respect to the right to life. I think all pro-lifers should know that he’s preparing to sell you out," DeSantis said. 

DeSantis and Newsom will duke it out Thursday night on Hannity, likely covering a wide array of hot topics including border security, abortion, and both the current and former presidents.

According to open source reporting, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has a net worth of approximately $20 million. 

Newsom made most of his money in business, with his company PlumpJack Group. It includes restaurants, luxury resorts and wineries throughout California. 

PlumpJack Group’s revenue is estimated at $32 million per year.

Getty Images

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on the Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET.

Fox News' Sean Hannity is hosting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a great state debate tonight at 9 p.m. ET in Alpharetta, Georgia. For years, the Peach State was flooded with red voters, but has emerged as a swing state in recent elections.

The debate on "Hannity" will air for 90 minutes on Fox News Channel and will also be simulcast on Fox News Radio. The primetime showdown will cover the policies between Republican and Democratic candidates and feature no audience.

The two opposing governors are known to vocalize their distaste for one another.

"To me this is all business. I understand how this game is played," DeSantis told Fox News of his ongoing feud with Newsom in late Sept. "For him, it may be a little bit different."

During the interview, he also said, "California and Florida just have two very different models, and we’ve seen the results of those models. People have fled California since he’s been governor. That’s never happened before. California used to be the state everyone aspired to go to. A lot of them have moved to Florida, which we never had before when I was growing up."

And Newsom, during a Sept. interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles anchor Elex Michaelson, said of baiting DeSantis, "Of course. I mean why is he debating a guy who’s not even running for president when he’s running for president?" Newsom asked. "He’s showing up at the Reagan Library, hallowed ground, and he puts out an ad today not for his presidential campaign, to promote a debate against the governor of California. I mean this guy’s distracted, so I don’t know that he has it in his heart. I think – here’s my personal opinion about Ron DeSantis – he regrets running for president."

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was elected governor of the state in 2018, and has held the high office since 2019, but had a lengthy political career before that time.

He started his political career by volunteering for the 1995 mayoral campaign of future Mayor Willie Brown, who was also instrumental in Vice President Harris’s political rise.

Brown subsequently appointed Newsom in his administration. The young San Francisco native later was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1997.

The Democrat would eventually run for mayor of San Francisco himself in 2003 and won election. He would be re-elected in 2007. 

Zipping up the political hierarchy in the state, he would win election to be lieutenant governor in 2010 after briefly campaigning to be governor. He would win re-election to that position in 2014.

After taking the governor’s seat himself in 2019, he would fend off a recall election challenge in 2021. A year later, he was comfortably elected to a second term as the blue state’s governor. There is now speculation that he’s running a “shadow campaign” for president in case President Biden drops out of the race.

Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could seek to make an issue out of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ties to President Biden’s son, Hunter, during their highly anticipated debate Thursday.

Newsom’s ties to Hunter Biden go back over a decade, according to Fox News reporting earlier this year, which reviewed years of email correspondence between the Golden State governor and presidential scion.

The president’s son has been in the spotlight in recent years, facing allegations he’s capitalized on his father’s position to conduct shady international business ventures.

But Newsom has dismissed the attacks on the Bidens, arguing earlier this year that Hunter didn’t do anything “inappropriate” by leveraging his father’s name in closing business deals.

"If that's the new criteria, there are a lot of folks in a lot of industries – not just in politics – where people have family members and relationships and they're trying to parlay and get a little influence and benefit in that respect,” Newsom told CNN. “That's hardly unique."

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has continuously flirted with the notion of running for president, though he currently serves as one of the most high-profile surrogates for President Biden.

Biden, the 81-year-old president who's running for a second term in office, has been saddled for over two-years with underwater approval ratings. In recent months, he has also increasingly faced questions regarding his physical and cognitive ability to serve another four years in the White House.

While Newsom has repeatedly shot down speculation he would run for the White House next year should Biden not run, a well-publicized trip by the California governor to Israel and China last month sparked further buzz about his possible 2024 ambitions.

The two-term California governor with a rising national profile made a quick stop in Israel in October to show support for the country amid its war with Hamas. After that, he traveled to China, where he discussed climate change with the world's most populous nation.

A poll released last month showed Newsom’s approval rating had dropped to an all-time low as he faced accusations that he is running a "shadow" presidential campaign as a backup plan to President Biden.

Biden narrowly trails former President Donald Trump in many of the most recent polls looking ahead to a likely 2024 general election matchup.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this update.

Fox News - Alexandria Hernandez

Thursday night will see Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican running for president, take on his political foil, Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a televised debate.

One of the biggest topics facing Americans right now is the porous southern border that has seen multiple migrant crossing records broken as recently as October under President Biden.

The border has been a staple topic amid the GOP presidential primary, and DeSantis has been a major hardliner on the porous southern border.

Earlier this year, DeSantis unveiled a border security plan and vowing to “stop the invasion” at the southern border. The Florida governor also pledged to deport illegal immigrants who came into America illegally under Biden.

"Everyone that has come illegally under Biden. We got to go - they're sending back," DeSantis said.

DeSantis and Newsom will duke it out Thursday night on Hannity, likely covering a wide array of hot topics including border security, abortion, and both the current and former presidents.

Fox News

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has long been at odds with California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, slamming the Golden State’s leader for turning California into a "petri dish for leftism.” 

DeSantis and Newsom are two of the most prominent governors in the country, and repeatedly spar over key political issues stretching from the pandemic to rampant drug use in the state.

Newsom argues he is the leader of the "true freedom state" that fights against “small men in big offices,”  while DeSantis touts how Californians fled the state to Florida to escape “woke” ideology run amuck in classrooms and in the state’s capital. 

“In California, they locked kids out of school, and they had the lowest ... percentage of in-person learning of any state in the country of the 2020-21 school year because the teachers union runs that state,” DeSantis said last year of Newsom’s strict lockdowns during the pandemic, according to the Sacramento Bee. 

DeSantis has criticized Newsom repeatedly for his strict pandemic lockdowns that shuttered schools and throttled businesses, arguing the restrictions forced many Californians to  the state to Florida, where DeSantis reopened the economy just months after the onset of the pandemic. 

“I can just tell you this, I was born and raised in this state, and until the last few years I rarely if ever saw a California license plate in the state of Florida. You now see a lot of them. I can tell you if you go to California you ain’t seeing very many Florida license plates,” DeSantis said in July of 2022. 

The Florida governor visited California earlier this year, and expressed shock over witnessing blatant drug use and defecation on the streets of San Francisco while pinning blame for the issues on “leftist policies.” 

“I knew you guys got a lot of problems out here, but your governor is very concerned about what we're doing in Florida, so I figured I had to come by,” DeSantis said in March while speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. “So in Florida, we say very clearly, we will never ever surrender to the woke mob. Our state is where woke goes to die."

DeSantis has also taken aim at Newsom for having a “serious fixation on the state of Florida,” which he described as “bizarre.”

Kevork Djansezian

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is the first spouse of the state's governor to go by the title First Partner rather than First Lady, a decision she made upon her husband taking office in 2019 in order to address gender equality.

Siebel Newsom was born and raised in the San Francisco area before attending Stanford University and working as an actress. The two reportedly met on a blind date in 2006 and married in 2008. Together they have four children.

Siebel Newsom is also a documentary filmmaker and women's equality activist, who, according to Newsom's office, “produced the critically-acclaimed documentaries Miss Representation, The Mask You Live In, and The Great American Lie.”

She also worked on the production of other films before founding The Representation Project, which Newsom's office describes as “a nonprofit that challenges limiting gender stereotypes and norms by shedding light on the role they play in all forms of oppression.”

Siebel Newsom was also among the accusers of Harvey Weinstein in his rape and sexual assault trial last year.

Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom advocates a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would toughen federal firearms laws and restrict gun ownership.

Newsom's push for a 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, seeded with campaign cash left over from his 2022 landslide gubernatorial re-election victory in California, faces extremely high hurdles. 

With the country bitterly divided over gun rights enshrined in the 2nd Amendment, Newsom's goal of adding what would be the first new amendment since 1992 seems remote.

The Democratic governor’s proposal, announced in June, would raise the federal minimum age to buy a firearm to 21 from 18; mandate universal background checks; institute a “reasonable” waiting period for all gun purchases and ban assault rifles nationally.

“The gun lobby says we can’t stop the carnage America now experiences every day without violating the 2nd Amendment — that thoughts and prayers are the best we can do... that’s a lie,” Newsom charged in a statement. “In this country, we do have the power to change things. That power is written into the Constitution, and today we’re using it to end America’s gun violence crisis.” 

Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

The Heritage Foundation released a report card Tuesday that ranked Florida as the top state for education freedom.

States were measured based on four categories: education choice, teacher freedom, transparency and return on investment.

"In this 2023 edition of the Education Freedom Report Card, Florida remains the top-ranked state across the board. Florida lawmakers have once again expanded education freedom and promoted parents’ rights while creating a laudable return on investment for taxpayers," Heritage stated.

The DeSantis administration has prioritized cutting wokeness out of state schools since it has been in power and, with the Republican legislature, enacted a Parents Bill of Rights to prohibit instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation and moved to enforce laws banning pornographic material from school children, such as LGBTQ books featuring graphic sexual content.

On the other hand, the new report card ranked states like Connecticut, Rhode Island and Oregon low for "doing little to provide transparency and choice for families."

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s own in-laws fled the state of California for Florida amid the Golden State’s strict lockdowns and coronavirus requirements, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Records show that Kenneth F. Siebel Jr. and Judith A. Siebel, parents of Newsom's wife Jennifer Siebel, moved from California to Florida after purchasing a $3.3 million home in Naples in March of 2020. 

The couple officially became registered voters in June of the same year, Fox previously reported, with Kenneth Siebel registering as a Republican, and Judith Siebel listed as having no party affiliation. Political contribution records show that in 2022, the Siebel family trust donated $5,000 to a PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

Under Newsom’s leadership, California had some of the most strict coronavirus regulations during the pandemic, which helped spark an ultimately-failed recall effort against Newsom in 2021. In contrast, DeSantis lifted all lockdown restrictions on businesses and restaurants in September of 2020, opened schools for in-person learning, and championed keeping Florida “open for business.”

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this post.  

Getty Images

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is taking on his Democrat foil, California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a prime-time Hannity debate set for Thursday night.

While the conversation will likely take many turns as the two gubernatorial rivals debate the key issues facing Americans, the pair will likely have their own hot takes on both President Biden and former President Trump.

DeSantis is the number two contender for the GOP presidential nomination, but will have to get through Trump, the frontrunner and his former political mentor, to grab the crown.

The Florida governor has been critical of Trump, warning pro-life voters that the former president will “sell you out” after Trump criticized DeSantis’ six-week abortion ban as “a terrible mistake.” DeSantis also warned that the left will “weaponize” Trump’s remarks “to try to defeat the cause of life.”

Additionally, DeSantis has criticized both Trump and Biden as “missing in action” — the current president over his “leadership” and the former president for not debating the other Republican candidates running for the party’s White House nomination.

DeSantis also suggested a one-on-one debate with Trump, saying the former president owes “it to the voters.”

"Where's Joe Biden? He's completely missing in action from leadership," DeSantis said on the debate stage in September. "And you know who else is missing in action? Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record, where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt that set the stage for the inflation that we have."

As for Biden, DeSantis has been a vocal critic of the current Democratic president, warning in August that America might never "recover" from another four years of a Biden presidency.

"So people should know that now's the time to get it done. I think our country, if we get another four years of this, I don't know… If we recover."

"I really don't," he added.

DeSantis and Newsom will duke it out Thursday night on Hannity, likely covering a wide array of hot topics including border security, abortion, and both the current and former presidents.

Mamas for DeSantis

Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis is also a breast cancer survivor, describing her fight against the disease as “the battle for [her] life.” 

In a campaign ad released last year, Casey DeSantis described how her husband, 2024 presidential hopeful Gov. Ron DeSantis took care of her and their kids as she would underwent extensive treatment.

“He was there to pick me off of the ground when I literally could not stand," she said in the spot.

"I didn't know if I was going to see my kids graduate from kindergarten, let alone going off into high school or watching them walk down the aisle, so I had him every step of the way there as a shoulder to cry on."

Casey DeSantis completed her last round of chemotherapy in January 2022, and remains cancer-free.

Fox News

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET.

Dueling Govs. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Gavin Newsom, D-Calif, will participate in a groundbreaking debate Thursday moderated by Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

After a months-long public feud, DeSantis and Newsom agreed to take their issues to the debate stage where they will make their case to the nation on whether red or blue policies are best for the country.

The two-hour "Hannity" special will take place in Alpharetta, Georgia - a swing state that will play a crucial role in the upcoming 2024 election.

The highly anticipated debate comes as DeSantis is vying for the GOP nomination against frontrunner former President Donald Trump.

While the Governor has already gone head-to-head with his GOP competitors, the debate against Democrat Newsom could likely play a key role in the future of Republican Governor’s presidential aspirations, as voters get the opportunity to glimpse him in a general election.

The debate also comes amid accusations Newsom is running a “shadow campaign” amid recent trips to Israel and China, despite the Democrat saying he would not run for president against Biden in 2024.

The debate is set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel and will be simulcast on Fox News Radio. 

Getty Images

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., recently accused fellow Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom of running a shadow presidential campaign, but not having the "guts to announce it."

"Let me say something that might be uncomfortable," Fetterman said at a Democratic Party dinner in Iowa. "Right now there are two additional Democrats running for Pennsylvania, excuse me, running for president right now. One, one is a congressman from Minnesota. The other one is the governor of California. They're both running for president, but only one had the guts to announce it."

Fetterman continued, "I got to tell you, let me say I got an opinion. If you are a Democrat that wants to criticize and go after Joe Biden, our president, just go ahead and write a check for Trump."

The Pennsylvania Democrat was referring to Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who recently announced a 2024 presidential bid against President Joe Biden.

While Newsom has repeatedly stated that he would not run against Biden for the nomination, speculation continues to grow that the California Democrat is positioning himself for a bid in the case that the president halts his campaign.

The head of Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' super PAC has resigned amid internal turmoil within the organization over its strategy moving forward into 2024.

Chris Jankowski, a veteran operative in Republican politics, submitted his resignation letter, effective immediately, to the board of Never Back Down on Wednesday.

The group has played a significant role in DeSantis' bid for the presidency since he launched his campaign in May, including raising nine figures to serve as an attack dog and media juggernaut for the governor.

However, the operation has failed to help DeSantis break through the crowded Republican presidential field and be seen as the main challenger to former President Donald Trump's grip on the GOP. 

According to one recent NBC News report, frustration had been building in the ranks of Never Back Down, which culminated in a heated meeting last week that nearly broke out into a fist fight.

Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Governor Gavin Newsom said the state will make nearly $300 million available to local municipalities to clear out homeless shelters in the Golden State. 

Despite Newsom saying he cleared out more than 5,600 homeless encampments across California, California state Sen. Brian Dahle, a Republican, pushed back on statements claiming they actually “just moved them down the street.”

"The governor didn’t clear these homeless encampments; they just moved them down the street," he said. "California spends more tax dollars per homeless person than we do on our students. The homeless crisis is a national embarrassment. This governor needs to focus on real results instead of chasing presidential aspirations and gas-lighting Californians."

Newsom recently cleared out San Francisco homeless shelters ahead of Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which the Governor admitted was prompted by the visitation of world leaders.

"I know folks are saying, 'Oh they're just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town.' That's true, because it's true, but it's also true for months and months and months before APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit], we've been having conversations," the governor said.

John Nacion/WireImage

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., was criticized on social media after admitting that San Francisco, nationally infamous for homelessness, timed a massive cleanup effort ahead of an important U.S.-China summit this week.

"I know folks are saying, 'Oh they're just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town.' That's true, because it's true," Newsom said Thursday at the unveiling of a new program to plant trees in urban neighborhoods as part of his Clean California initiative launched in 2021. 

He added, "It's also true for months and months and months before APEC, we've been having different conversations and we've raised the bar of expectation between the city, the county, and the state and our federal partners."

Many on social media expressed their outrage at video clips of Newsom acknowledging he cleaned up San Francisco to prepare for this event and wondering why it hadn't happened before.

He also claimed during his speech that this was not a one-time cleanup, but an effort to spark momentum for the Clean California beautification project that will improve the entire state of California. 

He responded to a question about people who insist such efforts should have begun years ago, claiming, "We started this in July of 2021" before they knew APEC was coming and had made the announcement on the same spot. 

Still, he defended the particular efforts to clean the city before APEC commenced.

Team DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined the United States Navy in 2004. A Harvard Law graduate, DeSantis earned his commission as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer.

DeSantis served on active duty from Sept. 2005 to Feb. 2010, including a deployment to Iraq where he was stationed as a legal advisor to Seal Team 1 from 2007 to 2008. 

After leaving activity duty, DeSantis continued on in the Navy Reserve until 2019, when he took office as Florida’s 46th governor.  

“There was no greater honor than knowing I was wearing the cloth of my country when I served in the military,” DeSantis said earlier this year when he announced his "Mission First" military policy, taking aim at President’s Biden’s stewardship of the national defense.

"We must restore a sense of confidence, conviction, and patriotic duty to our institutions — and that begins with our military,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis has also noted on the campaign trail that should he be elected, he would be the first president since George H.W. Bush, also a Navy veteran, “who’s actually served in a war.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was caught on video running over a Chinese child while playing a pickup basketball game during his trip to the country.

The short clip, which was shared by RNC Research, an arm of the Republican National Committee, features the California governor showing off his ball handling skills before making a move toward the basket and running right through one of the children attempting to defend him.

Newsom and the young boy can be seen tumbling to the ground, with the governor wrapping him in a bear hug and playfully patting his back as they get up.

A spokesperson for Newsom's office told Fox News Digital the incident happened while the governor was at Yuying School, a public school in Beijing, where he visited to "see farm-to-school and other agricultural science programs in China."

The mishap happened during Newsom's week-long trip to China, where the California governor met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday. Newsom told reporters earlier this week the purposed of the trip was for "turning the page, of renewing our friendship and reengaging (on) foundational and fundamental issues that will determine our collective faith in the future."

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated his acceptance of the endorsement of popular Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucus next year. "Kim Reynolds is a very beloved figure in Iowa because she's done a great job. So we've got a lot of excitement," DeSantis said Monday.

DeSantis said former President Donald Trump, who holds a wide lead over him and South Carolina's Tim Scott and Nikki Haley, has gotten a lot of sympathy from voters over what the Floridian said is indeed unfair treatment by elements of the criminal justice system.

"I think when that Alvin Bragg case came down [in Manhattan], it was just so transparently ridiculous. And to go back seven or eight years [in terms of the charges], clearly this would not have been brought for nonpolitical reasons. And so I think that he got a lot of sympathy, you know, as a result of that, in particular, maybe some of the others, too," he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at San Francisco International Airport for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, and to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, in San Francisco, the United States, Nov. 14, 2023. Xi was received by California Governor Gavin Newsom, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other U.S. representatives at the airport. (Photo by Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was in China meeting with CCP President Xi Jinping leading many to wonder, including a congressman from his own state, whether he is running a "shadow" campaign for president in case Democrats ultimately look for an alternative to President Biden as crises pile up on his watch at home and abroad.

The California Democrat met with Xi and other Chinese officials as part of a week-long trip he said was aimed at discussing the threat of climate change and "renewing our friendship and reengaging (on) foundational and fundamental issues that will determine our collective faith in the future."

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., said he spoke to a moderate California Democrat colleague who seemed "not very excited" about Newsom, pointing out that Newsom is "slick" with many "rehearsed talking points" that could easily "dupe" voters.

Newsom's recent trips abroad and focus on policy over the last couple months comes as Biden continues to see crises piling up on his watch, including the border crisis, inflation, skyrocketing crime in major cities, and major foreign policy failures, including the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. 

LaMalfa wasn’t alone in his speculation that Newsom is positioning himself for higher office evidenced by a flurry of social media speculation in recent days. Media, Democrat strategists, pollsters, conservative commentators and GOP Presidential candidates have commented on whether they think Newsom plans to run for president. 

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Calls are growing for Democrats to find an alternative to President Biden before the next election. With the first primary contests a few months away, is it too late for them to find a viable replacement?

The short answer is no, but time is running out.

Biden would either need to face a serious primary challenge now or decide to step down later. Either method would make history in the modern era.

Pathway 1: The Democratic primary

Democrats already have a process in place to find a new candidate for the general election. That is the presidential primary. Democrat voters will head to the polls from January to June next year and select a presidential nominee.

Biden already faces competition from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Marianne Williamson for that nomination, but polling shows that Democrat voters are not enthusiastic about them. The most likely candidate is California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

Rumors are also swirling around the popular governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

Pathway 2: The Democratic National Convention

While Biden will appear on the primary ballot and is by far the most likely candidate to win the nomination, he can decide to step down from the race at any point.

The ideal time to complete that process would be during the Democratic National Convention in August. If Biden wins a majority of delegates but wants to step down, he could use a speech prior to the convention or even during the week to endorse another candidate.

Under Democratic Party rules, pledged delegates are not required to vote for the candidate they represent but are told to "reflect the sentiments of those who elected them," so an endorsement from Biden would be very influential.

If there are multiple candidates, but a majority voted in line with Biden’s wishes, that candidate would become the Democrats’ presidential nominee. This would be a variation on what is usually called a contested convention.

If Biden fails to convince a majority in this hypothetical, and no candidate wins the first ballot at the convention, a brokered convention would take place. Delegates are released from their pledges, so leading figures in the nominating process, like party leaders and congresspeople, would try to persuade delegates to support their preferred candidate instead.

Getty Images

Fox News' groundbreaking debate between Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is quickly approaching with the backdrop of the political drama unfolding in the 2024 presidential race. 

As part of a two-hour "Hannity" special, Fox News' Sean Hannity will be moderating a 90-minute debate in Alpharetta, Georgia, which has emerged as a critical swing state in recent election cycles. 

The audience-free debate will put a spotlight on the two governors' leadership approaches in their states and each will make the case to the nation whether red or blue policies are best for the country. Hannity will press them on key issues including the economy and inflation, immigration and the border, and crime.

The debate is set to air Thursday, Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel and will be simulcast on Fox News Radio. 

DeSantis trails behind former President Trump in national and state polls, however a debate against Newsom could give Americans an idea of DeSantis as a potential Republican nominee.

Newsom is seen as a potential alternative to President Biden, who has been trailing behind Trump in polls as well as losing Democratic support. Critics have made their accusations against Newsom, however, that he is running a "shadow campaign."

James Gilbert/Getty Images3

The Ron DeSantis presidential campaign released a statement outlining why it believes the Florida governor won Wednesday night's debate while also previewing his plan for an upcoming debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom that he called the "biggest" debate yet.

"Ron DeSantis was victorious" in the third Republican presidential debate "by making clear that he has what it takes to fight and win for the American people as commander-in-chief, but the next debate will be the biggest one yet," DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The statement continued, "A Newsom presidency would accelerate America’s decline, and November 30th will be the first chance to expose to a national audience just how dangerous his radical ideology would be for the country. Ron DeSantis will take this responsibility seriously and looks forward to sharing the stark contrast between his vision to revive our nation and Newsom’s blueprint for failure."

Newsom has repeatedly said he is not running for president in 2024.

DeSantis commented on his upcoming debate with Newsom, "I think what California represents, it's kind of the leftist petri dish. So, whatever the Democrats have already done in Washington, California is kind of like five years ahead of that."

DeSantis and Newsom are scheduled to face off in a debate that will air on Fox News Channel on Nov. 30, moderated by Sean Hannity.

Fox News

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET.

It's a high-profile general election-style debate amid the presidential primary season, pitting two relatively young and very well-known governors of large states who have a knack for grabbing national attention.

Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who have been trading fire for nearly two years, will tangle once again on Thursday. But this time, their slugfest will be face-to-face in prime time.

DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and Newsom — who Republican critics charge is running a shadow campaign for the White House even though he repeatedly stomps on such speculation as "ridiculous" — will face off in a debate moderated by Fox News opinion host Sean Hannity.

The showdown is titled "DeSantis vs. Newsom: The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate." It takes place in northern Georgia, in the booming city of Alpharetta, which is part of metropolitan Atlanta. Georgia, once a deep-red state, has become a top general election battleground between the two major political parties.