Comparative Essay Sample: DeSantis vs Newsom

On two opposite sides of the country, we find California and Florida. Similarly, both states are in the top 3 most populated in the country. However, the politics that govern said states differ dramatically. For instance, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom has implemented the strictest lockdown policies in the past 2 years. In contrast, Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, has gone against the “Science” and kept Florida an open state throughout the past 2 years. In addition, Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom have nothing in common and dramatically differ in their ability to govern a state. 

To begin with, Gavin Newsom has lied and misrepresented facts on several occasions for the sake of himself. For example, Newsom on multiple occasions has been photographed socially gathering without a mask on. Starting with, “in November 2020, he was spotted at a celebrated Napa Valley restaurant, enjoying the company of a group of well-heeled friends” (Jackson). Additionally, the second occasion occurred at a football game, “Newsom and others, including Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, mugged for the cameras with bare faces, though the rules say they were supposed to be masked” (Jackson). Coupled with the fact that California has one of the strictest masks and vaccination mandates in the country, Newsom acts as if these rules do not apply to him. Notably, when asked why he was without a mask he simply replied that he was acting in a “very judicious manner” (Jackson). As can be seen, Gavin Newsom disregards the mandates that he implemented, but enforces them on the people of California. Instead of giving freedom of choice to his state, Newsom blindly followed the media agenda. 

On the other hand, Ron DeSantis stood with his state and treated the people of Florida equally throughout. Instead of giving in to the media’s push for mandates and lockdowns, Ron DeSantis let the people decide for themselves whether to stay home or wear masks. For instance, in a public address, DeSantis specified “You see a lot of these other states that are so intent on closing people down. We’ve lifted people up. We’ve trusted Floridians. They’ve responded” (Karlamangla and lin II). Similarly, from the beginning of the pandemic, DeSantis pushed for the people of Florida to be able to go back to work and to their normal lives. For example, in September of 2020, DeSantis stated, “the era of shutdowns in Florida was coming to a close”, “We will never do any of these lockdowns again,” (Contorno et al). To add on, more people have recently recognized that Governor DeSantis has been right all along. For instance, as said by Karol Markowicz, “Florida has the lowest COVID-19 case rate in the country. They did it without vaccine mandates, without mask mandates in school and with no restrictions on businesses. Life simply went on.” Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom’s policies did little to no aid overall. 

As shown above, a governor can heavily dictate the livelihood of people. When comparing Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis, they equivocally worked their way up the political ladder to land in the positions of power they hold now. However, it is clear which one will go to greater lengths to ensure liberty and equality for the people of their state. The fact is that Newsom betrayed the people of California by holding them accountable to rules and not himself. Meanwhile, DeSantis followed the same rules that he gave to the people of Florida. For this reason, these two governors hold drastically different abilities to govern a state. Most importantly, the people who vote are the ones who put these governors in positions of power, it is for that reason that governors should prioritize the people. To further elaborate, Gavin Newsom took immediate actions to lockdown California at the beginning of the pandemic. This lockdown would last 2 and a half years. That meant Newsom insisted on two and a half years of people not being able to work and socialize, outside of only one to two people gatherings and staying six feet apart. In addition to the lockdown, Gavin Newsome enforced vaccine passports statewide and was needed for the people of California, to enter restaurants and hospitals. Therefore, many people were not able to see their loved ones. Whereas Ron DeSantis argued that it was crucial for people to visit loved ones and for people to be employed and provide for their families. In essence, these are the main differences that Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis hold, their ability to represent their state.