Posted in: Fox, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: "If Not For Hope, fox news, gavin newsom, opinion, republican, ron desantis

DeSantis, Newsom Set FOX "News" Debate Date (But Is It Too Late?)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis & California Gov. Gavin Newsom will debate on FOX "News" in November - but is it already too late for DeSantis?

Published Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:00:08 -0500

by Ray Flook

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Back in August, we learned that Donald Trump's political & personal punching bag and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom had agreed to a debate on FOX "News" – with Sean Hannity as the moderator. But after Newsom's people were less than impressed with what DeSantis brought to the table, things got kind of quiet for a while, so we assumed everyone had moved on. But we were wrong! Because on November 30th, the Red State vs. Blue State Debate will see Newsom taking on DeSantis, with Hannity serving as the ringmaster for FOX "News" that night. Set to kick off at 9 pm, the 90-minute debate is set to take place at a location in Florida – with FOX "News" set to offer more details over the next few weeks. But will DeSantis even be worth Newsom's time by that point? A recent CNN poll shows Trump holding a 39% support percentage in New Hampshire – nothing new since Trump's been at the top of the GOP pool for some time. But DeSantis has lost approximately 13 points since July, now sitting in fifth with 10% (putting him back in the pack with Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and Chris Christie) after taking substantial hits when it comes to moderate support and a drop-off in conservative support. By the time the end of November comes around, Newsom might be debating a fulltime governor – with Newsom having a better shot at the Republican nomination than DeSantis.

Thanks to Politico (you can check out Newsom's and DeSantis' respective debate proposals), we have a quick breakdown of where there was common ground – and where there were definitely differences – as both sides negotiated the debate's details:

Where DeSantis & Newsom Agree: When it comes to dates & locations, it looks like Wednesday, November 8th in Georgia is what both camps have in common for a 90-minute debate – though that doesn't mean that any of that is set in stone yet. In addition, both sides want only Hannity to ask the questions (and stop the two from interrupting and/or talking over each other), that the speaking team is divided equally between the two, and that neither of them can receive any mid-debate briefings or prep. The debate will end with two two-minute closing statements (with a coin flip determining who gets to go first).

Where DeSantis & Newsom Disagree: DeSantis is no fan of opening remarks – preferring to go with two-minute video openings (yup, basically "trailers") that would kick off the festivities. In addition, DeSantis wants a live audience with tickets distributed on a fairytale "50-50" manner – while Newsom wants the debate to be one-on-one minus the distractions. Otherwise known as "wanting to make it about the issues as opposed to who can stack an audience with sycophants."

Newsom Camp Responds to DeSantis' Requests (Ouch): " What a joke. Desantis' counterproposal is littered with crutches to hide his insecurity and ineptitude — swapping opening statements with a hype video, cutting down the time he needs to be on stage, adding cheat notes and a cheering section. Ron should be able to stand on his own two feet. It's no wonder Trump is kicking his ass," said Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click in a statement.

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