'Blizzard of lies': 5 highlights from DeSantis vs. Newsom 'Great State Debate'
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., faced off in Alpharetta, Georgia, on Thursday during Fox News' 90-minute "Great Red vs. Blue State Debate," moderated by Fox News host Sean Hannity.
DeSantis predicted Newsom would offer the audience a "blizzard of lies" to "mask the failures" of his administration, and warned that Newsom wants to extrapolate them onto the national stage. Newsom started out the debate by asserting that neither of them will be the 2024 presidential nominee.
DeSantis trails former President Donald Trump in primary polls, and Newsom has thrown his support behind President Joe Biden, though DeSantis accused him of running a "shadow campaign" to replace Biden on the ticket, which Newsom denied.
The debate grew heated at times, with moderator Hannity at one point asking them to "cooperate" by limiting the crosstalk and focusing more on answering his questions.
The following pages feature five highlights from the debate.