US presidential candidate Ron DeSantis clashed with California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom in an acrimonious debate on Thursday night, making a last-ditch pitch to Republican voters that he is their best option to take on President Joe Biden in next year’s election.
DeSantis is trailing far behind former US President Donald Trump in polling for the Republican Party’s nomination for 2024.
“There’s one thing … that we have in common,” Newsom told DeSantis. “Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.”
The host, Fox News Channel, billed the event hosted by Sean Hannity as “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate”.
Here are five takeaways from Thursday’s event:
Newsom, California’s 56-year-old term-limited Democrat governor, has positioned himself to seek the presidency someday, but he has declined to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2024. Instead, he’s emerged as a leading defender of Biden and a formal campaign adviser.
“I’m here to tell the truth about the Biden-Harris record and also compare and contrast Ron DeSantis’ record and the Republican Party’s record as a point of contrast, that’s as different as daylight and darkness,” Newsom said.
“I’m proud of the work Biden and Harris have done,” he also said.
Newsom defended 81-year-old Biden’s record and mental fitness, insisting he was not positioning himself to succeed. DeSantis insisted his rival was mounting a “shadow campaign”.
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