All focus is on President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee for the 2024 presidential election. But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a different perspective on that and is hoping Republicans can consider an alternative scenario with someone else like California Gov. Gavin Newsom as the party’s candidate.

During an interview with Fox News, the host brought up Newsom’s name, pointing out speculations that he is Democrats’ alternative for Biden. DeSantis agreed, saying, “He is running a shadow campaign.”

Pointing to the possibility of alternatives to a Biden run, he added, “Even people in his own party are saying that a lot of Democrats want to move Biden out. And so, you know, you could have Harris, you could have Newsom, you could have a lot of different people.”

“I think it’s important that Republican voters get the sense that we may not be running against Biden,” DeSantis further emphasized, going on to draw attention to Newsom’s tenure as California’s governor, where a noticeable exodus of residents and deteriorating city conditions have raised concerns.

DeSantis argued that Newsom’s policies in California could mirror what he might implement on a national scale, potentially accelerating the challenges the country has faced under Biden’s leadership.

In his words: “So I think what he’s done in California, Governor Newsom, causing a mass exodus out of the state, you’re really seeing cities collapse there, that is what he would want to do for this entire country and it would accelerate the collapse we have seen under Joe Biden.”

DeSantis also took a swipe at Newsom over a recent visit by China’s Xi Jinping to San Francisco. While acknowledging that San Francisco made extraordinary efforts to clean up the streets for the Chinese leader’s visit, DeSantis contrasted this with the dire living conditions residents face on a daily basis. He highlighted the influx of people into Florida, attributing it to the state’s commitment to freedom and prosperity while Californians flee due to safety concerns.

“People are flooding into Florida because we have stood for freedom and prosperity, they are leaving California because they can’t even keep the streets safe — unless President Xi Jinping from China comes, then they clean everything up. But other than that, people live in squalor,” he stated.

While Gavin Newsom has repeatedly denied any plans to run for president in 2024, speculation continues to swirl, with fellow Democrats like Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rep. Dean Phillips suggesting that Newsom’s potential candidacy is not entirely dismissed within their ranks.

“There are two additional Democrats running for Pennsylvania, excuse me, running for president right now. One is a congressman from Minnesota, the other one is the governor of California, but only one has the guts to announce it,” Fetterman said earlier this month.

While speaking with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo, he pointed out that Democrats, in general, are “doing what Sen. Manchin just did with you two moments ago, heeing and hawing, dancing around. “

“We have a governor from California who’s traveling the world running a shadow campaign,” he added.