Here’s Why The Newsom-DeSantis Debate Is Such A Big Deal

When America tunes in to the DeSantis v. Newsom debate this Thursday, we will witness a clash between the blue-state model, embodied by California, and the red-state model, represented by Florida (but also embraced by Iowa).

Gov. Gavin Newsom will attempt to defend policies that have resulted in the collapse of his once great state, and Gov. Ron DeSantis will make the case for the policies that he and our own Gov. Kim Reynolds have championed to unleash economic growth and help families prosper. As a presidential candidate, DeSantis’s arguments will have national resonance.

California is just one of many blue states whose policies have ruined naturally productive environments.

California’s regulations slow down and add costs to otherwise attractive projects, and radical Green New Deal policies have wrecked entire industries. In recent years,  the state has been ranked among the worst places to do business.

Their extreme social agenda has also harmed children and families. California has effectively required therapists to encourage transgender ideology among their youth while also funding abortions with taxpayer dollars. Progressive policies have ruined the state’s economy and society.

California is not alone in enacting disastrous state policies. From New York to Michigan, progressive policies have put blue states at the bottom of rankings for education, crime, business and much more. Walk through the streets of any of our large cities in blue states and you’ll find drugs and homeless.

In short, progressive policies have brought American decline. They are failing.

Contrast the blue-state model with the red-state model in Florida and Iowa. Both states have kept unemployment below the national average and have passed legislation to ease the tax burden on working families.

Red-states’ message to small businesses is simple: you are welcome here. It is no accident that red states are routinely considered the best places to start a small business. Both states have also led the way in protecting life and the family.

We have passed bills protecting life and safeguarding parental rights in our schools. We know that parents should have the final say over their children’s education, not the state.

Gov. DeSantis is the only candidate for president who will deliver the policies needed to reverse American decline. Under his leadership, we will secure the border once and for all and restore law and order.

He will decouple our economy from China, get spending under control, and end runaway inflation. Gov. DeSantis’s energy plan will not only produce hundreds of thousands of jobs, but it will also lower gas and electric bills. He has even pledged to bring gas back down to $2 per gallon. And when it comes to protecting our families and standing for the truth, he will support school choice nationwide, remove the woke agenda from our classrooms, and end the mutilation of children.

I stand with many other proud Iowans behind Gov. DeSantis. Gov. Reynolds, who has been a partner to Gov. DeSantis in developing strong state policies, has also endorsed him. She knows he has the right ideas and, just as significantly, the tenacity to see them through.

Bob Vander Plaats, president of The Family Leader, recently endorsed Governor DeSantis as well. If anybody can identify true fighters for Iowa values, it is Mr. Vander Plaats. Like these Iowa leaders, I trust Gov. DeSantis to deliver on his promises.

The debate between Gov. Newsom and Gov. DeSantis will be a split screen of two very different visions for America. With DeSantis as a prominent presidential candidate and Newsom in the wings, the stakes could not be higher.

Amy Sinclair serves as the Iowa Senate President. Matt Windschitl serves as the Iowa House Majority Leader.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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