Fox News star host Sean Hannity is set to moderate a battle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday.
Neither are rivals for office – yet – but have long been opponents on the national stage.
The Wall Street Journal Reports:
They aren’t running against each other. Still, Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom will take their fiery feud to Fox News this week in a debate moderated by Sean Hannity, offering up a head-to-head that stretches the boundaries of traditional political programming.
After trading barbs in the media for more than a year over issues from Covid-era restrictions to immigration, DeSantis, the governor of Florida, and Newsom, his California counterpart, are scheduled to face off for 90 minutes on Thursday in Georgia.
In an interview, Hannity—who came up with the idea—described Newsom and DeSantis as “two of the biggest, most interesting governors in the country and they have diametrically opposed political views, visions for how to run their states.”
Fox News and other cable networks air plenty of debates and town halls featuring candidates. Because Newsom and DeSantis aren’t running for the same job, the Nov. 30 event is more akin to cable’s version of an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout for politicians—taking an interesting fight happening outside the core election race and putting a spotlight on it.
DeSantis has struggled nationally to gain momentum in the crowded Republican primary and the departure from the norm could give him the boost he has been searching for.
As Biden’s candidacy in 2024 becomes more questioned by the day Newsom looks to use the opportunity to boost his national profile and become Biden’s heir-apparent.
