How To Watch & What To Expect From Ron DeSantis-Gavin Newsom Debate On Fox News

Ted Johnson
·4 min read
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When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom debate this evening on Fox News, it might not have a direct impact on the 2024 presidential race, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have consequences for their futures and for the network.

DeSantis is no longer the definitive Trump alternative that he was when Fox News host Sean Hannity first broached the idea last summer, and Newsom is not even a candidate, despite facing perpetual questions about his presidential aspirations.

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And while the right vs. left, East vs. West, Sunshine State vs. Golden State matchup is a bit of a gimmick, it is enough to draw media attention, with the negotiations over format and setting rivaling that even of a regular primary debate.

The 90-minute “great red state vs. blue state” debate, starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, will take place in Georgia and, after some back and forth, it was agreed that it would feature no audience.

Hannity says that he is focused on “issues that impact the people of these states” and that there are “no topics off the table.”

What to watch for is whether Hannity brings up The Walt Disney Company — and, if so, how he frames questions to both governors. In the initial stages of his campaign, DeSantis made a point of highlighting his battle with the “woke” Mouse House, though those references are less frequent as Disney’s litigation drags on. Disney CEO Bob Iger, at Wednesday’s New York Times DealBook conference, again labeled DeSantis’ moves as “anti-American” and “anti-business,” as the company pursues First Amendment litigation against the governor. After Disney came out against Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, DeSantis led an effort to strip the company of control over an entity that has oversight over its property.

RELATED: Disney’s Bob Iger On Pulling Ads From X, Suing Ron DeSantis & Feeling “Somewhat Sobered” On Prospects In China

Newsom has been the beneficiary of DeSantis’ battles with Disney, as the company in May scrapped plans to move about 2,000 staffers from California to Florida. “Turns out, bigoted polices have consequences,” Newsom wrote then.

But Newsom has had his own battles with Disney. As the Covid pandemic dragged on in fall 2020, he refused to allow for the reopening of the theme parks, drawing a sharp public statement from the company noting that all of its other properties had been allowed to bring back visitors. Around that time, DeSantis touted his state’s policy while California is “totally shut down.”

RELATED: Gavin Newsom Was The Unexpected Star Of The GOP Debate Spin Room

On his shows and in interviews with the two governors, Hannity has highlighted other topics, including taxes, immigration and crime, along with the move of Californians to Florida.

He has pitched his role in the interview as much more akin to a traditional news anchor moderator than a combative nightly opinion host, and Fox News is relishing having Newsom — a high-profile Democrat who has sat for interviews with Hannity multiple times — on again in a highly promoted setting. Many on the left refuse to do Fox interviews, and the White House has been highly critical of coverage, but the network often promotes Nielsen/MRI Fusion research showing it is “the most politically diverse audience in cable news.”

The event likely also will give Fox News a ratings spike. Hannity has been winning the time period in total viewers, but with one caveat: MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show beat Hannity in total viewers in Maddow’s once-a-week Monday airings last month. Hannity has still been winning the 25-54 and 18-49 demo.

In an email, Hannity said: “The country has never been more divided. Here you have two powerhouse governors with such differing governing philosophies and I think it’s important for people to understand why ther have such different approaches and determine what they themselves believe is best.”

As for the candidates, Newsom benefited from the attention he got when he sat down with Hannity in June and held his own, and seems determined to again show that there’s wisdom in reaching regular Fox News viewers, particularly as he promotes President Joe Biden’s re-election. Newsom’s appearance is yet step in taking on a higher national profile, following trips this fall to Israel and China.

RELATED: Who’s Giving To Joe Biden’s 2024 Campaign: Early Big Donors Include Seth MacFarlane, Marcy Carsey, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Netflix’s Reed Hastings And OpenAI’s Sam Altman

DeSantis, meanwhile, has struggled to remain the Donald Trump alternative in the presidential race, as Nikki Haley has much of the media momentum heading into next week’s (actual) Republican primary debate.

Dan Schnur, professor at USC’s Annenberg School as well as Berkeley and Pepperdine, said via email: “Newsom is clearly going to run for president at some point. But he’s not running now, so there is definitely more pressure on DeSantis. Newson has to balance between being seen as a strong Biden supporter and as a viable Biden successor. But DeSantis has to convince Republican primary voters that they need to start taking him seriously again. That’s a much more urgent task.”

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