California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched an ad campaign in Florida on July 4th, featuring a 30-second spot in which he attacks Republicans.
As Breitbart News noted on Saturday, Newsom is advertising in Florida to boost his national profile, even as he faces a re-election challenge in his home state. He is thought to be laying the foundation for a future presidential campaign.
The ad’s message was summarized by the Sacramento Bee:
The ad, running on Fox News stations in Florida and posted on Twitter Sunday by Newsom’s campaign, tries to draw a sharp contrast with the 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. Freedom, it’s under attack in your state. Republican leaders, they’re banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors,” Newsom says in the 30-second spot.
“I urge all of you living in Florida to join the fight, or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom — freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate and the freedom to love.” As he touts California, there are images of an American flag, beaches and Newsom himself.
The ad is deliberately provocative, airing on Fox News and taking on Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), lately a conservative hero.
California is currently experiencing an exodus of residents and businesses to Florida and other low-tax, low-regulation states.
Florida also distinguished itself from California and other liberal states by reopening its economy early in the pandemic. The result in terms of health outcomes was not dramatically different; however, Florida’s economy avoided California’s decline.
Newsom has taken on Florida, Texas, and other Republican-governed states on social issues, despite California’s many crises, including a crime wave, a water shortage, a lack of power generating capacity, poverty, and poor public education.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.