A spokesperson for Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday hit back at New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul after she attempted to make a joke about him and the Sunshine State.
Hochul on Wednesday at a bill signing tied to Holocaust education in schools joked about Florida being overrated.
"I just want to say to the 1.77 million Jews who call New York home: Thank you for calling New York home. Don't go anywhere or to another state. Florida is overrated. I shouldn't say this, but look at the governor. It starts at the top down," Hochul said.
"Getting in trouble — gotta stay on script," she added.
Lindsey Curnutte, a DeSantis campaign spokesperson, took Hochul to task in an email to Newsmax.
"An event about Holocaust education is not the time to launch cheap attacks at a fellow governor. Kathy Hochul's tasteless comments were offensive to thousands of Jewish people who are fleeing her state because of New York's oppressive taxes, shuttered businesses, crime-infested cities, and needless mandates," Curnutte said.
DeSantis in March said an increasing number of New Yorkers were flocking south because of the state's ongoing fiscal "tailspin."
"They tax and regulate so they repel people to leave their state," he told Fox Radio host Guy Benson. "The base shrinks so they got to do it again to try to square the circle. And you just can't have it. So states like Illinois, New York — they are in a tailspin and they're not probably going to be willing to change their policies."
His campaign team also aired an ad highlighting the number of migrators and encouraging viewers to "Vote Free, Be Free."
Another ad released this week proclaims that "freedom is here to stay," while also characterizing the state of Florida as "America's liberty outpost."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.