In a cable TV ad soon to be aired in Florida, Gov. Gavin Newsom urges people living in the state to join California to fight what he considers Republican extremism.
“Freedom is under attack on your state,” Newsom says in the announcement. “Your Republican leaders are banning books, making voting difficult, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors. I urge everyone who lives in Florida to join the fight. Or join to us in California, where we still believe in freedom … freedom of speech, freedom of choice, freedom of hatred and freedom to love. Don’t let them take your freedom. ”
Newsom’s re-election campaign paid about $ 105,000 for the space to run the 30-second ad, which will air on Fox News in Florida on July 4th. Newsom’s statements in the announcement are related to several recent policies in Florida:
— Earlier this year, the Florida Department of Education rejected 54 math textbooks — 41% of the department’s 132 textbooks — for inclusion in the state’s K-12 curriculum. in the future, saying they touched on “forbidden subjects” such as “Critical Theory of Race.” —F Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill last year that adds restrictions on absentee and mail voting, which many critics say will deprive voters of the right to vote. —The state made headlines earlier this year over a controversial measure known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity. from kindergarten to third grade in state public schools. —The Florida Legislature signed a bill in April that would ban abortions in the state after 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape and incest.
It is unclear why Newsom is posting cable TV ads in a state about 2,700 miles away, although many speculate that the measure is another sign that the governor is preparing for a presidential race in the near future. As we reported earlier, Newsom has dramatically increased its national stance over the past month, so much so that supporters of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris say they are watching it.
Newsom did an interview with The Atlantic earlier this month to talk about the National Democratic Party and conservative legislation on abortion and LGBTQ rights, and in that interview, he called for the National Democratic Party to be more combative. These comments came just weeks after headlines appeared to publicly call on the Democratic Party during a press conference.
Newsom has also joined Donald Trump’s social media app Truth Social with the stated goal of “calling Republican lies” and has spent a lot of time shooting GOP national officials, namely DeSantis and the Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Twitter and at press conferences.
Newsom has made an effort to lead the nation on important political issues. Following the decision of the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, Newsom signed a bill that protects people traveling from states with abortion restrictions in California to receive the procedure. He also drew a lot of attention last year for introducing a bill that allows private citizens to sue gun manufacturers, a bill that has been intentionally modeled after a Texas abortion law.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on July 3 at 10:30 a.m. to clarify the grade levels affected by Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill.