Govs. Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis are set for a primetime showdown on 'Hannity' Thursday
'Gloves are going to be off': Newsom, DeSantis debate to contrast Florida and California policies
Florida mom April Carney and California mom Erin Friday discuss the upcoming debate between Govs. Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis, hosted by FOX News' Sean Hannity.
The stage is set for Thursday night's battle royale as two of the country's most high-profile governors face off in a debate moderated by FOX News' Sean Hannity.
Ahead of the contest between Govs. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., one concerned mom, a Democrat from California, sounded off on Newsom's job performance, citing several areas she believes need improvement.
"Even the Democrats like me… we're against him. We've had enough of Gavin's lies and his harms on children and harms on the family," Erin Friday said Thursday on "FOX & Friends First."
"This man put men into women's prisons. This man has said that he wants schools to lie to parents… when their children are suffering from gender dysphoria. We've had enough of Gavin Newsom. It's time for him to go," she continued.
DESANTIS CAMPAIGN LEANS INTO NEWSOM DEBATE: ‘CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER’
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a news conference on March 16, 2021, in Alameda, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Children and education are important issues for Friday, who is an activist with Protect Kids California, where she has helped advocate for parental rights and educational transparency in the Golden State.
She believes Newsom "absolutely" has presidential ambitions, adding to the speculations of many, including those who say he should be the alternative to President Biden in the 2024 race.
As California faces criticism for issues related to crime and homelessness, Friday said she doesn't believe Newsom will have a "good response" to questions about either.
"He's been fighting homelessness for more than a decade. He fought it as a mayor of San Francisco and failed. He spent $800 million over the last couple of years in fighting homelessness, and our streets are covered with human feces. People sleeping on the streets, shooting up. I mean, it's abysmal. I can't even go to San Francisco anymore. It's just so dangerous," she said.
FIERCE DESANTIS-NEWSOM RIVALRY HEADS TO PRIMETIME SHOWDOWN WITH ‘HANNITY’ DEBATE
FOX News Channel’s Sean Hannity will moderate a red vs. blue state debate between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom. (FOX)
Meanwhile, April Carney, a Florida mom and school board member in Duval County, told FOX News she thinks Newsom's criticism of Florida's education policies poorly represents how the state is doing.
"I think that Governor DeSantis has done an amazing job educating our students here in Florida and, as a newly-elected school board member here in Duval County, I can fully attest to you that we are teaching the truth," she said.
"We are expanding our African American studies curriculum. We are expanding civics. We're teaching our children to love their country and realize that they can also have the American dream. I think he can try and spin it any way that he wants to. At the end of the day, we are succeeding when it comes to educating children. We are number one in the country when it comes to public education."
Carney added that she is "extremely happy" with DeSantis' job performance.
CALIFORNIA ‘REFUGEES’ TO BASH NEWSOM AT DESANTIS PRESS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF ‘HANNITY’ DEBATE
The 2024 presidential hopeful has a steep hill to climb to the Republican nomination, however, trailing former president and current front-runner Donald Trump by 50 points, according to a recent FOX News survey.
The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET on "Hannity."
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
