Ron DeSantis ‘needles and feces’ ad hits California Gov. Newsom

He’s California reamin’.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis skewered the Golden State as a decaying shell of its former self in a new presidential campaign ad released Monday ahead of a West Coast campaign swing.

The spot accuses Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom of dragging the state into a deepening progressive quagmire — and presents Florida as a flourishing counterpoint.

“The debate is already over,” read a tweet accompanying the video from a DeSantis campaign account. “California’s liberal governance is a disaster. Ron DeSantis’ conservative policies have Florida thriving, and would do so for the nation.”

DeSantis and Newsom have lobbed increasingly harsh words at each other in recent months, with the rhetoric sharpening after the Floridian officially entered the 2024 presidential race last month.

With questions lingering over President Biden’s fitness for office, speculation about a potential Newsom White House run has remained as well.

In quick succession, the ad shows clips from local news reports on California’s population loss and struggles with crime, homelessness and disorder.

“Needles and feces outside,” one anchor states.

“These children are witnessing drug use, violence, sex acts, public defecation and urination on a daily basis,” San Diego Mayor Todd Soria rails in another segment.

The ad also uses a clip of Newsom bemoaning California’s homelessness scourge and referring to some conditions as akin to a “third world country.”

The montage ends with DeSantis touting the Sunshine State’s population boom and highlighting flight from Democrat-controlled areas.

“This is a result of better governance in states like Florida,” the Republican states in footage from a recent press conference. “It is the result of poor governance in these left-wing states. That’s why people are moving.”

The video cites census data that showed a population loss of 508,903 in California between April 2020 and July 2022, compared to a gain of 706,597 in Florida over that span.

With Newsom’s profile — and polemics — growing, DeSantis urged his nemesis last week to clarify his presidential plans.

““Stop pussy-footing around,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Fort Pierce, Fla. “Are you gonna throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe … or are you just gonna sit on the sidelines and chirp?”

Newsom had challenged DeSantis to a debate and disputed that his state was hemorrhaging residents during an appearance on Fox News.

“They were anomalous in the last view years,” Newsom told Sean Hannity of the population losses. “They’ve already slowed down.”

The Californian also sought to cast Republican-controlled areas as economic backwaters compared to those run by Democrats.

“71% of the GDP in America is from blue counties,” Newsom tweeted over the weekend. “7 of the top 10 dependent states are red states. We’re subsidizing red states. Progressive economic policies work.”

DeSantis is slated to visit California Monday and Tuesday to “see first-hand the disastrous results of liberal governance.”