Frank Bruni, NY Times - While the gov-on-gov action was billed as a battle of red-state and blue-state worldviews and governing agendas, of the Republican way and the Democratic way, it became even more of a mirror of just how little quarter each side will give the other, how little grace it will show, how spectacularly it fails at constructive and civil dialogue, how profoundly and quickly it descends into pettiness. ... Each of these self-regarding pols kept altering the angle of his stance, shifting the altitude of his chin, changing his smile from caustic to complacent. It was as if they were rearranging their egos... Neither of them won the debate. Haley did, because nothing about DeSantis’s screechy performance is likely to reverse her recent ascent into a sort of second-place tie with him in the Republican primary contest. Gretchen Whitmer did, because Newsom’s pungent smugness no doubt made many viewers more curious about the Michigan governor than about him as a Democratic prospect in 2028.
Guardian - In the lead-up to his prime time debate with
DeSantis, Newsom, 56, has been busy campaigning over the last few
months. He has traveled to several red states, where he also paid for billboards
and television advertisements. He has challenged not just DeSantis, but
a number of Republican governors including Greg Abbott of Texas. He
launched a “Campaign for Democracy’’ political action committee. He met
with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and Xi Jinping in China. But
as his political star rises, his constituents are growing increasingly
sceptical. The governor, who sailed through an election after thwarting a
recall effort, has recently seen his approval rating sink
to an all-time low. His vetoes of bills that would have expanded labour
protections and rights alienated powerful unions. And his rejection of
laws to outlaw caste discrimination, decriminalize psychedelics and
consider gender affirmation in child custody cases has confused
advocates who thought they could count on his support. A poll by UC Berkeley’s institute of governmental studies, co-sponsored by the
Los Angeles Times, found that 49% of registered voters in California
disapproved of their governor. And 43% opposed him
Nellie Bowles, Free Press - Pitting Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis against California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, the winner was. . . Donald Trump. That was the main takeaway from the so-called Red State vs. Blue State Debate, hosted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity, in Alpharetta, Georgia. It was a reminder why so many Americans are over conventional politics—why Trump has dominated the GOP primary, why Democrats and independents have flocked to RFK Jr., why Trumpy non-Trump Republicans like Vivek Ramaswamy have done so well.
Probably the highlight of the evening was Newsom sanctimoniously correcting DeSantis’s pronunciation of Vice President Kamala Harris’s first name. (Never mind that every Democrat in California knows Newsom hates Harris.) It was all self-righteousness and talking points and canned lines. “People are leaving California in droves!” DeSantis said (more than once). “You’re on a book-banning binge!” Newsom shot back. (Which is not really fair, but so what?) There was also some back and forth about gun safety, gas prices, inflation, crime, and people defecating on the streets of San Francisco and China. Whatever. Nobody onstage won. Neither is going to be president—at least, not anytime soon. Everything is exactly the way it was before it started. Carry on.
Philip Elliot, Time - The mutual enmity between the two men is as apparent as it is helpful to their national ambitions. Ultimately, neither of these men is particularly likable. DeSantis seemed like he was trying to get familiar and find his footing in a 2024 campaign that is slipping through his fingers, while Newsom seemed indifferent to public opinion of his smugness. Neither, though, is yet a viable nominee in the current environment.
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