Gov. Gavin Newsom flew to Las Vegas on Friday to cheer for the San Francisco 49ers over the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in Tremendous Bowl LVIII — and used the sport as a possibility to throw a delicate jab at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Although Newsom has engaged in pleasant wagers with governors of the opposing group’s state previously, this yr he and Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson are teaming as much as profit charity. The pair plan to signal Tremendous Bowl merchandise and memorabilia and donate it to the Particular Olympics, Newsom’s workplace stated.
Newsom’s chosen charity marks a poke at DeSantis, his political rival. Newsom usually accuses DeSantis of being a “bully” and has publicly criticized the Republican governor’s effort to stop the Particular Olympics from requiring vaccine mandates for at-risk athletes through the pandemic. Newsom stated his late mom labored with the Particular Olympics.
The governor’s workplace introduced Newsom’s departure in a information launch stuffed with sport puns, saying he would “purdy quickly landing in Nevada to usher in one other Tremendous Bowl.” Brock Purdy is the quarterback for the 49ers; R&B artist Usher is headlining the halftime present.
A former mayor of San Francisco, Newsom predicted that his hometown group will emerge victorious on Sunday after shedding to the Chiefs on the large stage in 2020. That yr, Newsom and Parson exchanged presents.
Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for Newsom, stated the governor secured his ticket by means of pals with whom he’s attending the sport however didn’t identify names. California units a restrict on the worth of presents given to state and native officers from sure sources, although exceptions apply for household and, in some cases, pals.
Newsom attended the NFC championship sport final month in Santa Clara, the place he was photographed speaking to legendary 49ers receiver Jerry Rice on the sidelines because the group beat the Detroit Lions in a 34-31 nail-biter.
This time round, Taylor Swift tops the listing of celebrities anticipated within the stands (or suites). Newsom defended Swift and her boyfriend, Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce, in an MSNBC interview that aired over the weekend, calling GOP criticism “unhappy and pathetic.”
“The Republicans which might be wanting down and previous Taylor Swift achieve this at their very own peril,” Newsom stated to host Jonathan Capehart. “What’s her sin? What’s her sin? She needs extra individuals to vote.”
Kelce, who has appeared in Pfizer ads encouraging Individuals to get vaccinated towards COVID-19, and Swift, who endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and infrequently encourages her followers to register to vote, have grow to be the goal of criticism from Donald Trump loyalists and the topic of a collection of unproved and outlandish claims forward of the presidential election. The conspiracy theories have even pushed some conservatives to root for San Francisco, regardless of normally vilifying the town as an acrid emblem of progressivism run amok.
Neither President Biden nor Trump is scheduled to attend the sport.
Newsom’s attendance at NFL video games has stirred controversy earlier than. He and former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had been photographed in 2022 with out face masks at an NFC championship sport between the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Now that American society has largely reverted to pre-pandemic habits, that shouldn’t be a difficulty Sunday in Las Vegas.
Employees writers Noah Bierman and Seema Mehta contributed to this report.
