Hannity will host "red state vs. blue state" debate on Fox News Channel

AP Photo/Morry Gash

Fox News Channel announced Monday that Sean Hannity will moderate a “red state vs. blue state” debate between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

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Hannity asked the two governors about debating each other and both agreed earlier this year. The debate will take place on November 30 in Georgia, with the venue to be announced. It will air in Hannity’s time slot that night. The debate will be 90 minutes.

The two governors have a contentious relationship, to understate the relationship. Newsom began attacking DeSantis even before DeSantis entered the Republican presidential primary. So, Hannity challenged the two to a debate.

It should be an interesting debate, given the two governors’ political philosophies are polar opposites. It began over criticism of DeSantis for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Newsom wanted to keep California forever locked down. That lockdown was for everyday Californians, not for him. For example, he was caught dining out for a birthday dinner where everyone was sitting elbow-to-elbow around the table, all of them were maskless. Governor DeSantis re-opened Florida as quickly as possible.

Earlier this month, Newsom said on Meet the Press that the only hold-up on scheduling the debate was the location and venue. It is now known that the debate will be in Georgia but the venue hasn’t been announced.

One thing about Gavin Newsom is that he does something most progressives don’t do – he goes on FNC for interviews. That is how politicians are supposed to be. He said he wants to talk to the Fox audience, which is smart because FNC has the largest cable audience. Most intelligent people know that people of all political philosophies tune in to Fox, not just conservatives and Republican voters. Newsom said he tunes in to FNC primetime programming every night. That helped spark his feud with DeSantis.

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The DeSantis camp wants an audience at the debate. Newsom’s people are not so enthusiastic about that.

Debate is something Newsom has been craving for some time. In a tweet last year, the California governor took aim at DeSantis, saying “Since you have only one overriding need – attention – let’s take this up & debate. I’ll bring my hair gel. You bring your hairspray.” So when Hannity proposed the idea of having a debate with the Florida governor during an interview in June, Newsom pounced.

“Love it,” he told the host during his appearance. “…I’m all in. Count on it.”

Hannity is happy, he knows the debate will bring good ratings.

“I’m looking forward to providing viewers with an informative debate about the everyday issues and governing philosophies that impact the lives of every American,” Hannity announced in a statement.

It should be interesting. Newsom is a smooth talker. DeSantis has a mind for policy. Let the debate of red state vs. blue state begin.

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Beege Welborn 8:00 PM | December 02, 2024
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