SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis, governors of states on opposite ends of both the country and the political spectrum, held up their governing styles this week as models for the nation ahead of the 2024 presidential election as they rushed to use their convincing midterm victories to stake a claim on the nation's most enduring political promise: Freedom.
鈥淲e affirmed clearly with conviction that we are a true freedom state,鈥� Newsom, a Democrat in California, declared on Tuesday after handily winning a second term.
鈥淲e stood as a citadel of freedom for people across this country, and indeed across the world," DeSantis, a Republican in Florida, told a raucous crowd of supporters after cruising to his own second term.
But both men define 鈥渇reedom鈥� in vastly different ways. For Newsom, freedom means the right to say yes: To an , to government-funded , to for children. For DeSantis, freedom means the right to say no: To , to , to what he calls 鈥渋ndoctrination鈥� on in public schools.
Both messages have worked on smaller scales, solidifying each governor's hold on one of the nation's most populous states and propelling them as leaders of their political parties. Now, Newsom and DeSantis appear poised to take their messages nationally 鈥� a competition that could clash in a presidential campaign.
Newsom has sought out that conflict, running a TV ad in Florida over the summer to tell Floridians that 鈥渇reedom is under attack in your state鈥� and urging them to move to California. At every public appearance, Newsom doesn't miss an opportunity to criticize Florida or Texas, often mentioning DeSantis by name and referring to him as a bully.
鈥淭hat zest for demonization coming from the other side, these red states where, you know, there鈥檚 a cruelty, talking down to people, bullying people, making them feel lesser,鈥� Newsom said.
DeSantis often refers to Florida as 鈥淭he free state of Florida鈥� and attributes recent population growth in the state to people 鈥渧oting with their feet鈥� against coronavirus restrictions and liberal policies 鈥� a reference to California, which lost population for the first time in 2020 and lost a congressional seat.
鈥淭he woke agenda has caused millions of Americans to leave these jurisdictions for greener pastures,鈥� DeSantis said. 鈥淔lorida, for so many of them, has served as the promised land.鈥�
Whether Newsom and DeSantis meet on the campaign trail in 2024 or later this decade is the big question, as both face obstacles from other prominent members of their party. For Newsom, it's President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both of whom he has said he supports to be president. For DeSantis, it's former President Donald Trump, who is expected to announce a presidential campaign next week and is already taking shots at the Florida governor.
That uncertainty adds an interesting dynamic to the growing Newsom-DeSantis feud, said Jessica Levinson, a political commentator and election law professor at Loyola Marymount University.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like two boys fighting while their dads are still in the room,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey are both very much the substitute teachers waiting in the wings.鈥�
Newsom has said he's not running for president and pledged to complete his full four-year term, though politicians have . DeSantis, notably, has made no such commitment. He smiled on Tuesday as his supporters loudly chanted 鈥渢wo more years,鈥� a nod to his potential early exit as Florida's governor should he be elected president in 2024.
When not sparring directly, policies from Newsom and DeSantis clearly outline different futures for the country.
Newsom imposed some of the nation's most severe coronavirus restrictions, as well as vaccine mandates for government employees and health care workers. He signed laws to help women from other states travel to California to get an abortion and to protect children who come to California from other states for transgender surgeries and other gender-affirming care. And he used public money to give free health care to low-income immigrants living in the country without legal permission.
DeSantis, meanwhile, signed a law to let workers opt out of their employers鈥� COVID vaccine mandates. He banned abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. He enacted a measure that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools up to third grade, a rule critics dubbed the 鈥渄on鈥檛 say gay鈥� law. And he poked his rivals by using public money to bus immigrants living in the country illegally from Florida to Democratic-led states.
鈥淔reedom鈥� has been a popular talking point for Republicans for years, often accompanied by words like 鈥渇aith鈥� and 鈥渇amily." Newsom is using it deliberately as an attempt to reclaim the word for Democrats, part of his strategy to . He has done the same thing with other Republican calling cards, including referring to California as a 鈥減ro-life鈥� state because of its commitment to public health.
鈥淲e are the freedom party, and his view is we should say it,鈥� Newsom campaign spokesman Nathan Click said.
Jamie Miller, a former executive director of the Florida Republican Party, said DeSantis has gained broad appeal through logical governance and a willingness to stand his ground on thorny issues.
鈥淭he message he put out is, 鈥橧鈥檓 for the people, I鈥檓 for parents, I鈥檓 for logic,鈥� Miller said, referencing the governor鈥檚 pandemic policies and a new law banning lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
鈥淒eSantis has been certainly tough, certainly ready for the moment. He鈥檚 not afraid to fight for his convictions of what he thinks is best for Floridians and what鈥檚 best for the American people,鈥� Miller said.
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Izaguirre reported from Tallahassee, Florida.
Adam Beam And Anthony Izaguirre, The Associated Press
