Florida is winning the political battle with California as Trump takes office

Los Angeles Times ^ | Dec. 22, 2024 3 AM PT | Noah Bierman

[E. Pluribus Unum]

• Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to continue the fight against Trump’s policies but without what he called “a resistance brand” that defined his earlier clashes.

• Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta argued that voters were choosing Trump the man — narrowly — rather than a single state’s governing model.

WASHINGTON —  The rivalry between California and Florida reached a high mark in November 2023 when Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, faced off against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, on Fox News over which state held a better model for the country.

Thirteen months later, DeSantis has left the national stage after an aborted presidential run. But his state is winning the political war.

The nation under President-elect Donald Trump will look far more like Trump’s adopted home state of Florida, after he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris by painting her as an out-of-touch California liberal.

Trump is stocking his Cabinet with Floridians. And his plans to reverse California’s policies on the environment, crime, homelessness and education are facing far less pushback than they did during his first term, thanks to the state’s diminishing clout in Congress and a system of checks on Trump’s power that has eroded.

“These are all folks born and raised in our state and are going to show America our type of leadership,” said Brian Ballard, a powerful Florida lobbyist and Republican fundraiser whose firm previously employed Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and still employs his nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general. (Ballard’s expanded footprint now includes offices in Washington and West Los Angeles, opened two years ago, another sign of his state’s incursion.)

Other high-level Floridians likely to be in Trump’s inner circle include Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of State,...

[HIDEK6]

Save your Confederate money, son.

[MNJohnnie]

When you actually look under the hood of CA, instead of the packged propaganda about it in the failed media, you realize Gaive is not going to sell any voter base outside CA and it dark blue clones like WA, OR, NY, MA, IL

[pollywog]

as a native Californian, 83 years old, I can tell you that there are a LOT of conservatives in this state wanting to take it back. A HUGE movement is in play and we did FAR better this past election than we did in 2018!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most citizens here with any common sense at all realize that what has been brought illegally across our San Diego border, has not represented most of this state.

Look for changes coming!!

[FLT-bird]

As someone who has collected some....Confederate dollars are worth more than US Dollars now. No, that’s not hyperbole.

[MNJohnnie]

From your mouth to God’s ear.

[ducttape45]

I hope that somehow Trump and the GOP can cut down on the voter fraud in CA.

[pollywog]

Amen!!! Amen!!!

[Mat_Helm]

President Trump please save us from governor Gruesome in California and return us to freedom. We are held captive by communist degenerates taking away all are guns, gas powered anything, turning our children into slaves that do not know what bathroom to use, no water for farms, the highest energy costs in the nation, and over run by illegals. Save us from this tyranny as the courts have all failed. And now Kamalah wants to take over for Gruesome Newsom.

[napscoordinator]

Florida has a super majority in the state congress. Come back when you achieve that.