DeSantis ad highlights 'collapsed' San Francisco, pins California exodus on leftist policies

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this week released a political ad that featured him in the city of San Francisco, in which he asserted that the city had "collapsed because of leftist policies."

The Republican presidential hopeful lamented the state of the "once great" city, saying he and his team "saw people defecating on the streets, saw people using heroine, saw people using crack cocaine."

"The city is not vibrant anymore. It's really collapsed because of leftist policies," he contended. "These policies have caused people to flee this area. They don't prosecute criminals like they do in most parts of the country. And the wreckage has really been sad to see."

"It just shows you these policies matter. Leadership matters. They are doing it wrong here. It's no wonder why we've had so many people move from San Francisco to Florida over the last two years," DeSantis continued. "We've got to stop this madness. We need to restore sanity to this country."

The Florida governor has routinely highlighted the exodus of residents from left-leaning states and the surge of new arrivals to Florida, which he attributes to his state's policies offering people a more attractive option than places like California.

On this issue, DeSantis has frequently traded barbs with California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who often paints Florida as hostile to and dangerous for LGBT and minority communities.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.