The campaign of California Gov. Gavin Newsom — a Democrat who has claimed that his is not interested in mounting a 2024 presidential bid — has reportedly shelled out $105,000 to run ads in Florida, even as the politician is currently seeking reelection in his own state.
“California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) just placed a statewide cable buy in Florida. Ads begin airing on July 4th,” Adimpact tweeted on Monday. “Of note, the only network Gavin Newsom purchased in his Florida cable buy today was the Fox News Channel. So far we have seen $105K placed.”
“Newsom for California Governor 2022 has placed ad spending on Fox News in FLORIDA cable zones for July 4th,” Medium Buying tweeted on Monday, adding, “$105K total buy.”
SFGate reported that the content of the advertisements is not apparent, and when questioned, Newsom re-election campaign spokesperson Nathan Click responded, “stay tuned.”
The Golden State governor entered office in 2019, survived a recall election last year, and is currently running for a second term.
Newsom has said that he has “sub-zero interest” in a 2024 White House bid, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s not even on my radar,” he said.
Referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, Newsom said, “I’m hopeful that she’s the next president of the United States.”
Commenting on Newsom’s ad buy for the Sunshine State, Jeremy B. White of Politico tweeted, “You gotta be pretttttay confident in re-election to buy airtime in a state 3,000 miles away from your constituents.”
President Joe Biden has said that he plans to run for re-election in 2024 as long as he has “good health.”
Biden, who was sworn in at the age of 78 and is now 79, is the oldest person ever to serve as president — he would be 86 by the end of a second term in office.
Earlier this month when liberal CNN host Don Lemon asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre whether she believes the president has the physical and mental stamina to serve beyond 2024, the press secretary balked at the question. “I can’t even keep up with him,” she said. “That is not a question that we should be even asking.”
Mark Leibovich, a staff writer with The Atlantic, has contended that Biden should not seek another term. “Let me put this bluntly: Joe Biden should not run for reelection in 2024. He is too old,” Leibovich wrote. “Biden is fit to faithfully execute his duties, the White House physician said in his most recent health summary,” Leibovich noted. “The question is: Should he? The answer: Sure, for now. But not a day after January 20, 2025.”