(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Prospective GOP presidential nominee and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accepted an invitation to a live TV debate from California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The possibility of a debate initially came about in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity when DeSantis excitedly agreed to the three-hour debate proposed by the host, according to the Daily Mail.
“Absolutely I’m game, let’s get it done, just tell me when and where,” he said. “We will do it.”
No specific date for the debate was announced, but a spokesman from Newsom’s office said they planned on sometime in November.
The formal letter announcing the debate laid out several ground rules.
“This event will be marketed as a Red v. Blue debate that is focused on the impact of representation at the state level,” the letter read. “This will be a 90 minute debate in studio, aired by Fox News. The moderator will be Sean Hannity. There will be no live audience.”
Newsom’s team requested a coin toss to determine who would open and who would close the debate.
DeSantis agreed to all terms, and took a jab at California’s radically left-leaning policies.
“In one respect the debate between California and Florida has already been had, people have been voting on that with their feet,” he said.
“They have have fled California in record numbers, Florida has been the number one state for net in migration, we have the number one ranked economy, number one in education, crime rate at a 50 year low,” DeSantis boasted.
“In another sense this is the debate for the future of our country, you have people like Joe Biden. They would love to see the Californication of the United States,” he added.
Newsom also told Hannity he would do it on “one day’s notice with no notes.”
Some considered the California governors’ words to be rather bold, considering the mass exodus his state faced over the last few years.
Reports indicated that California, along with several other liberal states, are losing over $600 million in tax revenue due to former residents rushing from the state.
