Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom duked it out in a roughly two-hour debate Thursday that was heavy on contrasts between their leadership of two of the nation’s largest states but lighter on references to the ongoing presidential primaries — the race one of the men is currently running in.
“There are profound differences tonight,” Newsom said in his opening statement to Fox News host Sean Hannity, who moderated the contest. “And I look forward to engaging [on them]. But there’s one thing in closing that we have in common … neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.”
It was an assertion that DeSantis, who interjected and pushed back against Newsom throughout the night, didn’t counter.
