Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued a pointed criticism of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), citing a number of negative trends affecting the Golden State. In particular, DeSantis pointed to thousands of California residents who left the state for other parts of the country, including Florida, such as the parents of Newsom’s wife.
The Florida Republican’s comments come as California suffered the loss of a seat in Congress following the 2020 census. DeSantis blamed the outflow of residents on Newsom.
“They never lost population for their entire history as a state until he became governor,” DeSantis said. “And now they’ve hemorrhaged wealth, they’ve hemorrhaged population, and this is something that has never happened.”
DeSantis has criticized California during his tenure as governor but has stepped up such contrasts since announcing his campaign for president.
The Florida governor cited the fact that Newsom’s parents-in-law moved to his state.
“I think part of his obsession with Florida stems from the fact that his in-laws actually moved from California to Florida during our administration, and they left during his administration,” he said.
For anyone keeping score in the Gavin Newsom – Ron DeSantis battle. https://t.co/3izr583dRh pic.twitter.com/tVDtIacsrb
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) June 21, 2023
Furthermore, tax records show that Newsom’s in-laws donated $5,000 to a political action committee supporting DeSantis last year.
Newsom has criticized DeSantis, including in a recent interview with Sean Hannity. In particular, the California governor called Florida sending migrants to other parts of the country a “stunt.”
DeSantis’ criticism comes as California is frequently ranked as the number one or two states in terms of residents leaving, alongside New York. In contrast, Florida is often ranked in the top two states that citizens are moving to, alongside Texas.
Among cited reasons for leaving California, former residents often blame a number of factors, including crime, taxes and the cost of living. Sacramento levies one of the highest tax burdens in the nation.
Some California cities, including San Francisco, have seen a significant increase in crime in recent years, especially since the 2020 death of George Floyd.
In addition, the Golden State has the highest number of homeless in the country. California represents about one-third of the nation’s homeless population.