Gov. Gavin Newsom, Gov. Ron DeSantis agree to debate

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have finally agreed on a time and place for their much-anticipated debate.

The two will go head-to-head in a Fox News telecast from somewhere in Georgia — the exact location has yet to be decided — on Nov. 30. The contrasting ideologies of the two governors will be up on display for 90 minutes.

“I look forward to the opportunity to debate Gavin Newsom over our very different visions for the future of our country,” DeSantis said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Fox News host Sean Hannity, who initially proposed the idea to Newsom in June this year, also said he looked forward to the event to give his “viewers with an informative debate about the everyday issues and governing philosophies that impact the lives of every American,” according to a press release.

Newsom positions himself as a moderate

This debate isn’t the only high-profile television appearance on Newsom’s docket. In recent weeks, he has appeared on a number of news shows — including his interview on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” last Sunday — giving him greater national name recognition.

In a recent interview on “Meet the Press,” he said he was “dumbfounded” by the Republican Party of today that he said has discarded Reagan era politics.

“The fact that the modern environmental movement in many respects started with Ronald Reagan,” Newsom said, adding that the former president from the 1980s promoted the ban on assault weapons and defended the LGBTQ community — stances that are now typically taken by Democrats.

He also noted the work of former President Richard Nixon, another Republican fixture who served before Reagan.

Nixon supported conservation efforts, backing the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Air Act. He also created the Environmental Protection Agency.

Last week, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed judges to make custody and visitation-related decisions based on whether parents were affirming of their child’s gender identity, as The Associated Press reported.

Newsom said that he was an advocate of transgender rights. But, he added, “I urge caution when the Executive and Legislative branches of state government attempt to dictate — in prescriptive terms that single out one characteristic — legal standards for the Judicial branch to apply.”

Plus, the state’s existing laws already take health and safety into consideration when making custody decisions, Newsom said of the bill, which earned no support from California’s Republican state senators.

Will Gavin Newsom run in 2024?

The California governor recently put the rumors to rest and insisted that he looks forward to working on President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign for 2024 instead of launching his own.

“I think there’s been so much wallowing in the last few months, and handwringing in this respect,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “But we’re gearing up for the campaign. We’re looking forward to it.”

Since Newsom is no longer a threat to Biden’s reelection efforts, he has become a campaign surrogate “because of his ability to appear on Fox News with conservative hosts like Hannity,” according to The Messenger.

The debate with DeSantis is an extension of Newsom’s role in Biden’s reelection campaign. It took months to finalize, especially since both governors had a different set of demands.

DeSantis asked for a live audience, but Newsom requested “no cheering section, no hype videos or any of the other crutches DeSantis requested,” as his spokesperson told ABC News.

“We want a real debate — not a circus,” the spokesperson added.