(Headline USA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom fueled rumors of a 2024 presidential bid this week by buying up ad time in Florida for the July 4th weekend.
The Democrat’s campaign spent $105,000 on Fox News advertisement slots in Florida, according to SF Gate, in what seems to be an attempt to position himself as an alternative to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
When asked about the content of Newsom’s planned ads, spokesman Nathan Click said, “Stay tuned.”
Newsom is running for reelection and has denied any plans to run for national office. However, the Florida ad buy seems to directly contradict that statement, as some Golden State residents have observed.
The Governor who said he has “subzero interest” in running for President will reportedly air ads in a state …*checks notes* …2,700 miles away from his own. https://t.co/0O02izBOiI
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) June 27, 2022
Newsom has been positioning himself as a party leader over the past couple of years, and even called out Democrat leadership last week after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Where the hell is my party? Where’s the Democratic Party?” he said. “You guys paying attention to what’s going on?”
He also joined former President Donald Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, with the stated goal of “calling out Republican lies.”
I just joined Trump’s Truth Social.
Going to be on there calling out Republican lies. This could get…interesting.
My first post — breaking down America’s red state murder problem. https://t.co/5IxSCf4XJY pic.twitter.com/RnEaKNwpaF
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 16, 2022
DeSantis, however, has been quick to point out that middle-class Californians are fleeing Newsom’s state in droves.
“Yes there’s a lot of Californians who like what we’re doing who are coming, but even the ones that posture against Florida typically find their way here,” DeSantis said in March.
