One is a liberal haven where gas is heavily taxed and the proceeds are spent on green energy projects. The other state is that in which “the awakened one dies.”
So where would Americans rather live: Gavin Newsom’s California or Ron DeSantis’ Florida?
According to an exclusive poll for , the answer lies in Florida. It sheds light on what the 2024 elections could look like if the two major parties changed course and chose candidates from a younger generation of leaders.
About 47 percent said they would prefer to live in DeSantis’ Sunshine State, while 40 percent said they would like to live in Newsom’s Golden State.
California is currently battling an epidemic of robberies, while gas prices have reached $7 a gallon in some places.
Republicans overwhelmingly voted for Florida and Democrats voted for California. Independents tipped the results in favor of the Sunshine State when asked where they would most like to live
Results from a poll of 1,000 likely voters also show Ron DeSantis would beat Gavin Newsom by four points if they faced off in the 2024 election
Results from a poll of 1,000 likely voters also show DeSantis would beat Newsom by four points if they ran against each other in the 2024 election
The 55-year-old California governor was widely touted as an alternative candidate to 80-year-old Joe Biden before he ruled himself out of the running.
At the same time, 45-year-old DeSantis is struggling to keep 77-year-old Donald Trump in check in the Republican nomination contest.
The 2024 election is looking more and more like a repeat of the 2020 election, with two aging candidates making the same old arguments.
But both sides will get a glimpse of what might have been in November when DeSantis and Newsom face off in a televised debate.
They offer very different visions of the nation. A West Coast liberal with a moratorium on executions who promoted the proliferation of electric vehicles, versus an East Coast conservative who cracked down on abortion, ignored medical advice and opened his state early in the pandemic.
To her critics, Newsom’s soft-on-crime policies have led to an explosion in robberies and homelessness, while DeSantis has turned back the clock to silence discussion of homosexuality in classrooms.
And if our poll with JL Partners is correct, Americans prefer DeSantis’ vision. About 57 percent of independents said they would prefer to live in Florida, while Republicans and Democrats fall into predictable camps favoring Florida and California, respectively.
Joe Alder, senior research associate at JLP, said: “That 8 in 10 Republicans choose Florida while the same share of Democrats choose California shows the polarization the country is facing.” Even the most personal – the place, where people want to live – has become really political.
JL Partners surveyed 1,000 likely voters September 15-20. It turned out that DeSantis would beat Newsom in a head-to-head matchup, 43 percent to 39 percent
More than 849 people are expected to die from drug overdoses in 2023, which is expected to surpass the current record of 720 deaths in 2020
“Meanwhile, the independents’ decision by a two-to-one margin for the Sunshine State is a straw heading into the November debate between Govs. Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom.”
“It is DeSantis’ state, not Newsom’s, that swing voters see as the aspirational goal in today’s America.” Whether the same will be true of DeSantis’ vision for the nation remains to be seen.”
Newsom’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
But he has repeatedly insisted he has no intention of running in 2024.
“President Biden will run and we look forward to his re-election,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding that Biden already has a successor in Vice President Kamala Harris.
For his part, DeSantis used the second Republican debate this week to highlight his record in Florida as a model for the nation.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in his state rose by 297,000 last year, more than 30 times the rate of unemployment.
Newsom answers questions in the spin room ahead of a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX Business Network and Univision on Wednesday
By contrast, employment in California’s much larger economy grew by 191,019, a number that nearly matched the 171,154 new additions to the unemployment rolls.
The state’s gas tax – the highest in the country – and environmental fees are also under scrutiny as prices reach $7 a gallon, nearly double the national average.
Meanwhile, a new crime trend of “flash mobs” could cost the state $19 billion a year, according to the LAPD. Groups of thieves have looted stores such as Nordstrom and Versace, where up to 30 people escaped with $300,000 worth of goods.
Andrew Romeo, communications director for the DeSantis campaign, said: “The contrast between California’s failures and Florida’s success shows that Ron DeSantis is right: Decline is just a choice.”
“Ron DeSantis rejects this decision and as president will reverse America’s decline.”
“Whether Newsom or Biden is the Democratic nominee in 1924, they both represent the same failed and dangerous ideology for America that got us into this mess.” We look forward to comparing Ron DeSantis’ track record with that.”
If they ran against each other, the independents would influence the race for DeSantis. About 43 percent of independents say they would support DeSantis, while just 32 would support the California governor.
But the matchup is hypothetical and DeSantis has the advantage of already running a national campaign.
Currently, former President Donald Trump is the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination, and DeSantis has failed to close the gap.