
Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis have spent years hurling political and policy grenades from their blue and red state capitols — the personification of a nation riven by partisan warring.
But the California Democrat and the Florida Republican now find themselves converging on an issue that’s gained a surprising amount of bipartisan support: outright banning, or severely curtailing, children from using smartphones at schools.
That doesn’t mean the popular policy will erase the long-running grudge match.
DeSantis last year moved to own the issue with his first-in-the-nation ban. On Tuesday, Newsom followed suit, telling POLITICO he is planning to sign legislation this year to adopt tighter restrictions on smartphones in classrooms. DeSantis’ team revived the rivalry with a jab to claim Florida got there first. “There may still be a chance to come back from the brink,” DeSantis spokesperson Bryan Griffin wrote online, a reference to the low esteem they hold California in.