In what may be the most unorthodox match-up of the 2024 presidential primary campaign to date, Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis and California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who is not running for president, will face each other Thursday night in a debate moderated by Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

At 9 p.m. ET, the two will be taking part in what Fox News is billing as “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate.” The two will debate for 90 minutes in Alpharetta, Georgia, and then will each speak to the press afterward. 

Why are DeSantis and Newsom debating?

DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, will be debating a governor who is not running for president in 2024, but the rivalry between the two has been building for years, as they had opposite responses to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their public disagreements and spats over education, immigration and economic policy have also increased in the last two years. 

In September 2022, Newsom first proposed a debate with DeSantis on CNN. Then, Hannity raised the idea again in a June 2023 interview with Newsom, and he agreed to it. A couple of months later, in August, DeSantis told Hannity, “Let’s get it done. Just tell me when and where.” 

According to the Daily Mail, Hannity privately negotiated with both camps to finalize arrangements for the debate. 

Background on the governors

Both governors were first elected in 2018, and won reelection handily in 2022. Both have been touted as the future of their respective parties, though DeSantis’ has been testing that claim since he launched his bid in May. Newsom is a staunch backer of and surrogate for President Biden and has repeatedly said he has no plans to run for president or challenge Mr. Biden in 2024. 

The two governors have been criticizing each other in ads and news conferences for over a year. In 2022, Newsom ran an ad against DeSantis’ policies affecting the LGBTQ community and accused him of attacking freedom in his state. DeSantis responded by saying that California “is driving people away with their terrible governance.” 

The two are likely to face questions on their handling of issues likely to resonate nationally — border policy, inflation and the economy.

Sonoma State political science professor David McCuan says Newsom will likely try to appeal to the Fox audience by presenting himself as a moderate.

“There’s a lot at stake here, and there’s a lot at stake because these two also potentially match up in 2028,” McCuan told CBS Sacramento.

In recent months, DeSantis has repeatedly suggested that Newsom could end up replacing Mr. Biden on the 2024 general election ballot. The DeSantis campaign, in messaging guidance sent to supporters and donors by the DeSantis campaign this week, made several references to a “Newsom presidency” appear and wrote, “This will be the first chance for Republicans to contrast our vision for the future of the country with the failed agenda of someone who very well could become the Democrats’ nominee.”

The debate will air on Fox News and on Fox News radio.