When Gavin Newsom wasn't using taxpayer dollars to jet-set across the country and globe in 2023 as part of his shadow presidential campaign to present himself as a viable 2024 alternative to Joe Biden, he was reminding California residents who he really was.

Such reminders included bowing to pro-Hamas rage mobs, as well as making a stunning admission that yes, he really was cleaning up/sanitizing San Francisco streets at a pace not normally seen in the city that has been reduced to issuing poop maps because important dignitaries like President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping were visiting for the APEC gathering.

READ: Further Proof Things in San Francisco Have Gotten 'Back to Normal' Since All the Dignitaries Left

As California continued to deteriorate under his watch, fed-up residents were packing up and heading to greener pastures, so much so that once again the Golden State ranks dead last in U-Haul's just released Growth Index for 2023. Meanwhile, those awful red states Newsom likes to bash came in at the top - again:

Texas netted the largest number of movers in one-way U-Haul^® equipment in 2023, marking the third consecutive year it has finished atop the U-Haul Growth Index.

Florida ranks right behind Texas among growth states for the third year in a row, followed by North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Idaho, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Virginia round out the top 10 states for growth.

For the fourth year in a row, California reflected the largest net loss of one-way movers. Other bottom-five states for growth are Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. New York ranks 43rd.

U-Haul noted at the end of their announcement that though it was not a perfect measuring stick for population trends, "the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states and cities are attracting and maintaining residents." 

Here are the full rankings. I was honestly surprised to see Washington State in the top ten, especially considering their 2022 ranking was 23:

2023 U-Haul Growth Indexhttps://t.co/P9w0Q6As5g pic.twitter.com/LalrYs29oV

— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) January 2, 2024

As LifeNews observed, this report also seemed to debunk left-wing media-driven narratives about how there allegedly would be a massive migration from red states to blue states over the abortion issue.

"The top 6 are pro-life states and the bottom 5 are pro-abortion states," they tweeted. "But they told us people would leave states that ban abortions."

RedState has extensively documented the exodus that has taken place in California in recent years, an exodus that has even included some celebrities, with some of the top reasons cited by movers for their departures being the economy, high cost of living, crime, homelessness, and open-air drug use on city streets.

The wave of people fleeing California for states like Texas and Florida has also been used by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during his campaign for president to differentiate leadership styles between blue state governors and red state governors and how their decisions directly impact residents.

This ad highlighting the contrasts was one of the more notable ones released ahead of the DeSantis/Newsom debate:

Decline is a choice and success is attainable. As President, I will lead America's revival.

I look forward to the opportunity to debate Gavin Newsom over our very different visions for the future of our country. pic.twitter.com/wuh0jRXFdg

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) September 25, 2023

I sound like a broken record here, but DeSantis and Abbott were right, and Newsom was wrong. You simply cannot keep putting boots on people's necks in the form of things like higher taxes, more stifling regulations, and government mandates and expect them - and businesses - to stick around. It's just that simple.

Flashback-->> Oh Honey, No: Jennifer Newsom Steps on Rake in 'Family Values' Attack on Ron DeSantis