DeSantis sells California GOP on ‘Florida vs. California’

Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte’s must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Mar 06, 2023 View in browser   By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte, Matthew Brown and Ramon Castanos THE BUZZ: Gov. Gavin Newsom loves assailing Gov. Ron DeSantis as the antithesis of good governance — so imagine if Newsom’s constituents make DeSantis the nominee. That distinct possibility framed the visit by DeSantis on Sunday to the Reagan Library, a shrine to the former president and GOP proving ground whose recent visitors have included presidential hopefuls Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo. DeSantis’s visit and a subsequent fundraising dinner presaged a battle for the Republican Party that will run through Donald Trump — and California — as he pitched the Florida model to a subset of California’s 5.2 million Republican voters. Again and again, DeSantis contrasted Florida with California. He cited California’s shrinking population and loss of tourism as evidence of which approach appeals most, and he touted his state’s lighter touch on pandemic restrictions and vaccines. “We had families move from the Pacific coast just for the fact that we had schools open in Florida,” DeSantis said. Newsom was ready for his rival, taunting DeSantis before his arrival that “you're going to get smoked by Trump.” DeSantis swung right back, telling an enthusiastic crowd in Simi Valley that “you guys got a lot of problems out here, but your governor's very concerned about what we’re doing in Florida, so I figured I had to come by.” That echoed his observation to Club for Growth elites last week that Newsom is “preoccupied with me and what we're doing in Florida.” Indeed, Newsom has worked to make DeSantis the villain in America’s narrative arc. But where Newsom sees a dangerous demagogue, some Republicans see a model: The Orange County Republican Party advertised DeSantis’s fundraiser as a chance to hear from the leader of “the Free State of Florida.” His combativeness enthralls some voters. “Lots of people like his playing hardball,” Fresno County Republican Party Chair Elizabeth Kolstad told us — lauding the same confrontation with Disney that Newsom lamented. Donors like him too. DeSantis enlivened a crowd of hundreds at the OCGOP fundraiser, musing on whether he needed to pay California taxes on living in Newsom’s head. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a room with a thousand Republicans in it and not one time did the name Donald Trump come up,” said California Republican Jon Fleischman. “Instead, there were a lot of people interested in ‘when is Ron DeSantis going to declare for president?’” Republicans emphasize the nascent campaign’s fluidity, even as early California polling gives DeSantis a clear advantage over Trump. A core base will support the former president. Some admire Trump but are wary of his down-ballot deadweight or his limitation to a single term. Many are swinging toward DeSantis or former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley. Here’s our story on how California Republicans could be in the rare role of kingmaker, whether it’s for DeSantis or someone else. BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. The March for Life is coming to Sacramento today, offering a rare burst of anti-abortion activism in a state that has led the nation in bolstering reproductive autonomy. Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.  QUOTE OF THE DAY: “California is a different beast. A lot of the campaigns are trying to wrap their heads around how they should think about it.” Republican and 2022 state controller candidate Lanhee Chen after speaking with a GOP campaign manager. TWEET OF THE DAY: CA_DWR BONUS TOTD: DanielNMiller WHERE’S GAVIN? Back in the state after departing on personal business.   PLAYBOOK MEET & GREET! Join California Playbook and POLITICO’s growing team in Sacramento at Smic’s Sip & Quip on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, for an evening of cocktails and conversation. As POLITICO expands in California, we want to more frequently convene our most influential readers in Sacramento and beyond. Swing by and have a cocktail on us—you never know who you might run into! Register here.     TOP TALKERS — “The cameras know who you are. Now they want to use AI to find your friends too,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Noah Bierman: “Industry experts and watchdogs say that if the co-appearance tool is not in use now — and one analyst expressed certainty that it is — it will probably become more reliable and more widely available as artificial intelligence capabilities advance.” CAMPAIGN MODE OPEN SEAT SHUFFLE — Democratic Claremont City Councilmember Jed Leano is announcing a run for the AD-41 seat that Assemblymember Chris Holden is giving up due to term limits. CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR — “Californians await key decisions from reparations task force,” by The Associated Press’ Sophie Austin: “After two hours of intense debate, the task force voted unanimously Saturday in favor of an agency that would provide certain services to descendants of Black enslaved people while overseeing groups that provide other services. The vote followed one proposed by task force member Cheryl Grills at a prior meeting to recommend that this entity mainly serve as an oversight body.” — Delays in connecting new homes to power grid get scrutiny in California by POLITICO’s Wes Venteicher: Major delays in getting power to new construction in Northern California are drawing the scrutiny of lawmakers as they wrestle with how to address the state's critical housing shortage. At least two pieces of legislation — both in the preliminary stages — aim to address situations in which some developers have been told it will take years to connect new housing projects to the grid. — “Safety concerns and weather conditions hamper San Bernardino County relief efforts,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Robert J. Lopez and Taryn Luna: “Four helicopters with CalDART, a nonprofit organization that has coordinated aerial disaster relief efforts across California, had partnered with residents to deliver food, medicine and other supplies Friday amid perfect flying conditions.” — “As parents' rights efforts grow, California focuses on kids' autonomy,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sophia Bollag: “As conservative political leaders champion parents’ rights to control what kids learn in schools and how they express themselves, including with a new “Parents Bill of Rights” introduced by House Republicans this week, California is focusing more on the rights of minors to make their own decisions about medical care and gender expression.” ‘A NEW PATRIOTIC PATRIOTISM’ — “Future Democratic hopeful Ro Khanna takes on the heartland from Silicon Valley,” by Bloomberg’s Mackenzie Hawkins: “With the public souring on Big Tech and President Joe Biden popularizing a "Made in America" agenda, Khanna is seizing on last year’s Chips Act, a massive bipartisan achievement that dedicates around $50 billion to making computer chips at home to reverse decades of production in Asia. BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL FROM PILLOWS TO POLLS — “Mike Lindell is helping a California county dump voting machines. You should worry,” opines Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times: “Why use a system that people doubt if doubt undermines our elections? Seems reasonable to just go back to the old-fashioned way. Big problem, simple solution — as long as we are OK with tossing out truth and allowing propaganda, lies and pillow sales to determine our public policies.” SILICON VALLEYLAND — Elon Musk reopened Twitter for political ad business. But is it too late? by POLITICO’s Jessica Piper: When Twitter previously allowed political advertising, it never attracted nearly as much cash as rivals such as Facebook and Google. In the early going of the 2020 presidential cycle, for example, those two platforms attracted a combined nearly $100 million from presidential candidates through October 2019, according to OpenSecrets, while Twitter attracted just $5.2 million over that same period before shuttering its political ad operations. BIRTHDAYS SUNDAY: Fred Davis … Dorje Dolma … Donald A. Newman … Mark Edelstein ... Robin Carnesale ... Michael Reinis   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.   Follow us on Twitter Jeremy B. White @JeremyBWhite Lara Korte @lara_korte POLITICO California @politicoca   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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