California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are attacking each other. Both men issued fundraising appeals Monday going after the other by name… but they’re not running against each other.
DeSantis, a Republican, is running for president in 2024. However, Newsom isn’t running for anything that year. He’ll be only halfway through his four-year term. And regarding a 2024 run, Newsom said, “Not on God’s green earth.”
But some Democrat insiders say it’s clear that Newsom benefiting financially from his attacks on DeSantis.
Newsom called DeSantis “weak” in an Associated Press interview Tuesday. He added, “He is undisciplined and will be crushed by Donald Trump, and will soon be in third or fourth in national polls.”
Sacramento-based Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta said he expected the ongoing rivalry to continue given that it’s beneficial for the politicians with their core supporters. He described Newsom and DeSantis as “frenemies.”
“They both get points off it,” Acosta said, amid the fundraising efforts. “There is a hard core of voters on both sides who think this is great.”
Newsom finished last year’s midterm campaign with roughly $16 million in the bank. And in March, he channeled $10 million to a new political action committee he’s calling the Campaign for Democracy.
DeSantis has questioned Newsom’s decision to bash Florida. He even dared Newsom to challenge him for the presidency.
“He has a real, serious fixation on Florida; I mean, I think it’s just bizarre that he does that,” DeSantis said. “But what I would tell him is, you know what? Stop pussyfooting around… Are you going to throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe? Are you going to do it? Or are you going to sit on the sidelines and chirp? Why don’t you throw your hat in the ring, and then we’ll go ahead and talk about what’s happening.”
Of course, DeSantis also seems to be benefitting financially from his rivalry with Newsom.
The Florida governor has launched a two-day fundraising trek spanning at least five stops across California.DeSantis has hammered Newsom for presiding over population decline, and the Golden State has become one of DeSantis’ favorite punching bags.
The DeSantis campaign even sold T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan, “Stop pussyfooting around.”
Take a look —
If you're chirping from the sidelines…. this one's for you.
Get yours before they're gone ⬇️🚨https://t.co/2onLqZ4R3P
— Team DeSantis (@TeamDeSantis) June 15, 2023
In the AP interview, Newsom addressed DeSantis’ attacks. “He’s taking his eye off the ball,” Newsom said. “And that’s not inconsistent with my own assessment of him, which is he is a weak candidate.”
Other insiders see Newsom’s remarks as a shadow contest not for 2024, but for 2028.
Veteran Democratic consultant Roy Behr, whose clients included former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, said the two governors are engaged in what could become an early preview of the 2028 presidential contest.
“It’s not inconceivable that four years from now, these two guys could be their respective parties’ nominees,” he said. In tangling with DeSantis, who is 44, the 55-year-old Newsom is building his national brand and visibility and is “certainly trying to create opportunities for himself.”
Newsom’s new PAC is initially focusing on challenging Republican leaders in deep-red states that are largely irrelevant in the 2024 presidential race. He campaigned in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi in April on his first trip associated with the PAC.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.