Ron DeSantis says his upcoming debate with Gavin Newsom is critical because the California Democrat is running a ‘shadow campaign’

Ron DeSantis insists his debate with Gavin Newsom is important because he could be the Democrat on the 2024 presidential ticket.

Florida’s governor says his counterpart in California has been waging a “shadow campaign” as the two prepare to face off in a debate later this month.

DeSantis is a distant second behind front-runner Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primaries — sometimes tied for second place with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Newsom is not entering the 2024 presidential race, insisting he has no plans to run — and is instead serving as a surrogate for President Joe Biden’s reelection bid. That hasn’t stopped speculation that Newsom will make a bid for the White House this election cycle.

As a presidential candidate, DeSantis has faced questions about why he is debating Newsom, who is not entering the race.

DeSantis said Newsom could run for president in 2024, and said Republicans should be prepared to take him on if the nominee doesn’t end up being President Joe Biden.

But Florida’s governor says it’s important that Republicans are willing to potentially take on a candidate who isn’t Biden in 2024.

“Look, he’s running a shadow campaign, even people in his own party are saying that,” DeSantis told Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning, joining virtually as he held a Thanksgiving food drive in the state of New Hampshire, where the early primaries are taking place.

“A lot of Democrats want to get Biden out,” DeSantis said. “And so, you know, you could have (Vice President Kamala) Harris, you could have Newsom — you could have a lot of different people.”

He added, “But I think it’s important for Republican voters to feel like maybe we’re not going against Biden.”

Polls show that there is increasing demand for a younger candidate in 2024. And Democratic-leaning polls show the voting bloc may want someone other than Biden, 81, as its candidate.

“In your head you’d like to be the candidate on the Republican side, Gavin Newsom, you know, he wants to be the Democratic (candidate),” Fox ghost Steve Doocy noted.

“No doubt about it,” DeSantis responded when the panel said the debate could be a preview of 2024.

Fox News’ Sean Hannity flies to Alphretta, Georgia to host the debate, which is called The Great Red Vs. The Blue State Debate.

“I think it’s an important debate for the country,” DeSantis said.

He added, “And yes, he’s about to potentially run for the Democrats. So we have to be ready for that.’

Newsom has insisted he has no plans to run for president in 2024, but his increasingly high-profile appearances have fueled speculation. Pictured: DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris speak with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the Southern California city on Sunday, November 19

The showdown between DeSantis and Newsom will take place just days before the Florida governor heads to Alabama on December 6 for the fourth Republican presidential primary debate.

Newsom showed up to perform counterprogramming at the second Republican primary debate, held in September at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

“I think what he did in California, Governor Newsom, and caused a mass exodus from the state, you really saw cities collapse there. That’s what he would do for this entire country and it would accelerate the collapse we’ve seen under Joe Biden,” DeSantis said Tuesday morning.

“So the stakes are very high for America,” he added, asserting that the debate is more than just California versus Florida.