Newsom taunts DeSantis on home turf in visit with Florida students

In a display of political rivalry, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) visited a Sarasota, Florida, liberal arts school on Wednesday and rebuked Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) culture war campaign.

Huddling with students at the New College of Florida, who are battling against DeSantis’s attempt to root out the liberal hew of the institution, Newsom railed against Florida’s anti-woke restrictions on books in schools, election integrity measures, and more. His remarks came amid a tour for his “Campaign for Democracy” in red states.

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT PROPOSED LIFTING TRAVEL BAN TO GOP STATES BEFORE NEWSOM ANNOUNCED TOUR

“This isn’t about you, it’s about a movement they want to export everywhere else,” Newsom warned students before ripping DeSantis’s “zest for demonization,” the Herald-Tribune reported.

“I’m crawling out of my skin for you. I want you to know you’re not alone. You matter,” California’s governor said.

Earlier this year, DeSantis embarked on what some have described as a conservative overhaul of New College of Florida’s board of trustees, ushering in a bevy of changes such as dissolving the institution’s diversity and equity office and a rule that some claim bans the use of personal pronouns in email signatures, according to the Associated Press.

Newsom’s trip to Florida comes in the wake of a DeSantis trip to California last month, where he delivered a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and threw shade at the Golden State for its “hemorrhaging population” that he blamed on “leftist politicians.”

During his stop, Newsom reportedly met with over two dozen community members in the North Sarasota Public Library.

Ahead of the visit, Newsom chastised DeSantis for signing a law to allow concealed carry without permits.

“Kids in Tennessee are showing up in the thousands demanding action. The nation is still mourning our children being gunned down in a school. And Ron DeSantis’ response is to try and slide one by us all and loosen Florida’s gun laws. Pathetic,” he tweeted.

Culture war dust-ups helped catapult DeSantis to national stardom within the GOP. DeSantis has widely polled as a top 2024 presidential contender, though he has yet to declare his campaign. Across the country, red states have unleashed a wave of culture-laced laws that impose policies on transgender issues, classroom instruction, and more.

Newsom has sought to push back against conservative cultural endeavors. Last year, he fired off an ad campaign in states such as Florida and Texas, chiding Republicans for restricting abortion and relaxing gun control laws.

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Newsom is set to travel to Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi this week and confer with activists who are pushing for progressive causes such as expanding Medicaid. Last week, he moved $10 million to a political action committee designed to shore up Democratic support in deep-red strongholds.

“While the media circus focuses on the politics of hate and division today, it’s never been more important to organize from the bottom up. States like Alabama that were ground zero for the fight for civil rights are experiencing a massive roll back of freedoms led by the @GOP,” Newsom said in one video supporting the campaign.