ATLANTA — A debate months in the making finally has a set date on FOX News.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a live debate on the cable news channel hosted by pundit Sean Hannity. The date has been set for 9 p.m. Nov. 30, 2023. Though an exact venue has yet to be determined, a statement from Fox News said it would be held somewhere in Georgia.
A debate on current issues and government policy between Newsom and DeSantis has been in talks since June when Newsom expressed a willingness to debate the Florida governor during an interview on Hannity's show.
"I’m all in, count on it,” Newsom said at the time. “Do it with one-day notice with no notes, I look forward to that. We could talk about (DeSantis') zest for demonization, we could talk about his assault on free enterprise.”
Newsom also publicly defended his state's economy, touted President Joe Biden's accomplishments, criticized DeSantis' treatment of migrants, and directly challenged Hannity and DeSantis' claims that people were leaving California in record numbers.
In late July, when DeSantis appeared on Hannity's show, Newsom had sent a formal debate proposal suggesting a 90-minute live debate between the two of them with Hannity as moderator.
"Absolutely. I’m game. Let’s get it done. Just tell me when and where. We’ll do it," DeSantis said. He then joined Hannity in suggesting Florida had already won the debate, referring to data showing that California's population had been decreasing since 2020. He also touted Florida's high rankings on economy and education.
"In another sense," DeSantis said, "This is a debate for the future of our country, because you have people like Joe Biden who would love to see the Californi-cation of the United States."
In the ensuing months, while DeSantis and Newsom continued to criticize and taunt each other over the air and on social media, various disagreements over details and a debate counterproposal put forth by DeSantis led some to believe the debate would never happen until the event was finally confirmed.
In a statement announcing the debate, Hannity said, "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.”