Conservative PAC slaps back, targeting California with Gavin Newsom parody ad

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — You may remember this ad that hit Florida airwaves on the Fourth of July.

“Freedom is under attack in your state” was California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s message to Floridians, but now a conservative political action committee is returning that message to the sender.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

The new ad campaign is spearheaded by Vote The R PAC.

The $25,000 digital ad buy specifically targets the Golden State’s capital city of Sacramento.

“It’s Independence Day, so let’s talk about what’s going on in America. Freedom is under attack in your state,” says the narrator in the new parody ad.

While the words may appear to come from Newsom’s mouth, it’s not his voice.

“Dictator Ron DeSantis incredibly lets you walk around without masks,” the narrator continues.

“I thought I could make it not only funnier, but more honest,” said Trey Radel with Vote the R PAC.

Radel helped make the ad.

As a native Floridian, he said he took offense when Newsom put Florida in his crosshairs, likening it to a “hip-hop beef.”

Read: Jacksonville’s City Councilmember Rory Diamond introduces ‘Keep Our Families Together Act’

“Gavin Newsom struck out at Ron DeSantis because he knows he’s not Ron DeSantis. He struck out at Ron DeSantis because he wanted headlines,” said Radel.

The spat between the two states has escalated since the start of the pandemic as narratives of a mass exodus from the Golden State into the Sunshine State began to emerge.

“Increasingly, people don’t feel like there’s a lot to cheer for in politics. So they like to see the people that at least they don’t, like, get bloodied a little bit by people,” said Sean Freeder, a political science professor at the University of North Florida.

Freeder opined the ads are probably less about attracting new residents and more about raking in cash.

“It’s an interesting (way) to create a little bit of fight, a little bit of drama, borrow from some reality TV knowledge to just get your name out there, get money everywhere,” said Freeder.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.