When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Democratic counterpart in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom, agreed in September to the terms of a one-on-one televised debate, it was billed as a chance for two ideological opposites to present their radically different approaches to governing to a national audience.
Now, for DeSantis, at least, it may be more than that.
For days, the Florida governor and his allies have been dropping hints that he sees the Thursday night debate with Newsom not just as a showdown with a blue state governor, but as a chance to take on a potential rival for the presidency, either in 2024 or some time in the future. The hour-and-a-half-long debate will take place in Alpharetta, Georgia, at 9 p.m. EST and will air on Fox News.