Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom faced off during a head-to-head debate moderated by conservative commentator Sean Hannity on Thursday night in Georgia.
Both governors won re-election last year. DeSantis is currently running in the GOP presidential primary, though former President Donald Trump has been trouncing the rest of the field, according to polls. Newsom has been backing President Joe Biden for re-election.
During the one-on-one debate, DeSantis referred to the Golden State governor as “a slick, slippery politician.”
DeSantis accused Newsom of running a “shadow campaign” for president, but Newsom swatted away the suggestion.
Earlier, Newsom said that he and DeSantis share in common that “neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.”
Newsom called Hamas a “terrorist organization” that must be “eliminated.”
DeSantis indicated that Hamas wants to “destroy Israel,” and said that the country has the “right to defend itself to the hilt.”
At one point after DeSantis mentioned Kamala Harris, Newsom chided the Sunshine State governor for the way he pronounced Harris’ first name.
“Newsom just scolded DeSantis for his pronunciation of ‘Kamala.’ Most of the Senate couldn’t pronounce her name for at least a year after she became a senator,” Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted. Lee also called Newsom an “amazingly good debater who’s allergic to truth,” as well as “a singularly unlikable guy,” and a “narcissistic, gaslighting deflector.”
Clay Travis panned Newsom’s performance: “I was 100% wrong on this debate. I thought Gavin Newsom would be likable and intelligent. I was incorrect. This is a massacre. If this were a boxing match, Newsom’s corner would have thrown in the towel a long time ago. Complete and total win for DeSantis from open to close.”
Here’s a clip from the debate:
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!