Inside the deepening rivalry between Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says there’s no chance “on God’s green earth” he’s running for president in 2024. But he wants to make clear that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running, is “weak” and “undisciplined” and “will be crushed by Donald Trump.” Meanwhile, DeSantis likes to mock Newsom’s apparent “fixation” on Florida while insisting that the Democratic governor’s “leftist government” is destroying California. The fierce rivalry features dueling governors who represent opposite ends of the ideological spectrum from two of the nation’s largest and most influential states. Newsom and DeSantis will not face each other on any ballot in 2024, but in many ways they are defining the debate this election season.