Gov. Gavin Newsom, fueling speculation that he is interested in the White House, released an ad Sunday to air in Florida, pitting him squarely against former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Newsom, who is expected to win re-election to a second term as governor in November, urges viewers to “join us in California, where we still believe in freedom.” The announcement is scheduled to air on Monday.
In recent days, Newsom has aggressively promoted California’s strong support for abortion rights, gun regulation and environmental protection, as Supreme Court rulings have weakened laws in all three areas.
The ad, which airs on Fox News stations in Florida and was posted on Twitter Sunday by Newsom’s campaign, seeks to draw a stark contrast to conservative DeSantis, who is said to be weighing a presidential run of his own in 2024.
“It’s Independence Day, so let’s talk about what’s going on in America. Liberty is under attack in your state. Republican leaders are banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in the classroom, even criminalizing women and doctors,” Newsom says in the 30-second spot.
“I urge everyone who lives in Florida to join the fight, or to join us in California, where we still believe in freedom: freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate and freedom to love”. While promoting California, images of an American flag, beaches and Newsom himself appear.
A Florida law banning abortions after 15 weeks was set to go into effect Friday, but a judge blocked its enforcement. The Florida Department of Education has banned the use of certain books in schools, claiming they contain information on prohibited topics, such as critical race theory.
Newsom, 54, has said he is not running for president, telling the San Francisco Chronicle in May that he had “zero interest” in seeking the job. He said he wanted Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California senator and state attorney general, to succeed President Joe Biden.
Biden has said he will run for re-election in 2024. But as governor of the nation’s largest state and with millions in campaign cash, Newsom is likely to remain in the presidential conversation, if not by 2024, then by 2028 and beyond. there.
Newsom and DeSantis have been rivals for some time. Newsom has repeatedly boasted that California is more economically healthy than Florida, even though California’s unemployment rate has been one of the highest in the country.
In May, the most recent data available, California’s unemployment rate was 4.3%, tied for the 42nd-lowest rate in the country. Florida’s rate was 3%, tied for 17th, and below the national average of 3.6%.
California continues to have a disproportionate share of jobless claims. In the week ending May 25, it had about 20.5% of all such requests nationwide, even though the state has about 11% of the national workforce. Florida has about 3% of the applications and 7% of the active population.
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