President Joe Biden is traveling to Tampa Tuesday as he shows his support for abortion rights — an issue Democratic party leaders believe will help their ticket up and down the ballot in November.
In a conference call with reporters on Monday, Michael Tyler, communications director for the Biden campaign, shrugged off suggestions that former President Donald Trump “has the state in the bag.”
National Democrats are seizing on abortion restrictions imposed in states such as Florida, where the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The six-week restriction is set to go into effect May 1.
Tyler pointed to a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which for nearly 50 years guaranteed access to abortions. Trump has credited his Supreme Court appointees for the controversial ruling, which left decisions about abortion up to states and spawned a series of laws in Republican-dominated states, including Florida, restricting access.
Trump “owns” restrictions on women’s reproductive rights now being imposed across the country, Tyler said.
“This campaign’s posture reflects the seriousness with which we’re taking Florida,” Tyler said. “Again, the President is traveling there (Tuesday). We’ve got staff on the ground. You’ve seen our paid investments begin to pop up in the state of Florida. It is one of many pathways that we have to 270 electoral votes, and we’re going to take it very, very seriously tomorrow and throughout the rest of the election.”
Florida Democrats maintain the looming six-week abortion restriction will help counter an ever-widening Republican advantage in registered voters and boost support for a proposed ballot measure aimed at enshrining abortion rights in the state Constitution.
The proposal, which will appear as Amendment 4, seeks to “limit government interference with abortion” and says that “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”
Recent polling on the ballot proposal indicated that support remains under the 60 percent voter approval required for passage.
A USA Today/Ipsos poll conducted in early April showed that Amendment 4 drew approval from 57 percent of registered voters, with just 6 percent undecided. Results from Emerson College Polling conducted between April 9 and 10 showed 42 percent of registered voters supported the measure and 32 percent were undecided.
A poll conducted last week by Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab in collaboration with Mainstreet Research showed that 49 percent of registered voters supported Amendment 4, with 32 percent undecided.
“Since almost one-third of respondents do not know how they would vote if faced with the ballot initiative, this means that it could go either way come November,” Luzmarina Garcia, assistant professor of political science at FAU, said in a release.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has railed against the measure and predicted it will fall short of approval from 60 percent of voters required for passage.
“I can tell you that that amendment is written very deceptively, to try to trick as many people to vote for it as possible,” DeSantis said during a bill-signing event in Hialeah Gardens last week.
Leading opponents of the proposal include the Florida Voters Against Extremism committee, which has received about 90 percent of its campaign contributions from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, according to the state Division of Elections’ website.
John Stemberger, President of Liberty Counsel Action, said on the podcast “Deeper Dive with Dara Kam” the measure will face a “legitimate” opposition campaign that includes TV and radio advertising.
“We don’t need to raise as much money as the other side,” Stemberger said. “But we will raise millions of dollars and we will fight this and defeat it.”
As of March 31, Florida Voters Against Extremism had raised $30,640, including $25,000 from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops. The conference also has provided $45,000 in in-kind contributions, the records showed.
The Floridians Protecting Freedom committee, which is backing the proposal, spent roughly $17.9 million to get the abortion-rights amendment on the November ballot.
The committee received 17,000 separate contributions, with Planned Parenthood branches giving more than 21 percent of the total contributions as of March 31. Other major contributors include American Civil Liberties Union and the Homestead-based Florida Advancement Project.
–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida
Deirdre says
If Biden doesn’t put an end to the genocide in Gaza (since we fund the war with billions $ and weapons) he won’t be elected anyway, so women who want to make their own choices with family planning better vote accordingly for the law and not the politicians behind it.
Hippy says
@Deidre – The death of the people in Gaza does not stop until all those protesting against Israel wake up and start protesting about who is funding Hamas and the other factions that are hiding in Gaza. You are naive if you think that Israel is going to stop doing what they have to do to get rid of Hamas. It’s fact and sad that you and others including the media do not want to stop the killing once and for all. Your solution only delays it again with another cease fire that Hamas will break and Israel will react. Just as we reacted after 9/11. Just as we reacted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the list around the world goes on and on.
Jackson says
Women will get Biden the win in Florida as well as most democrats running for office in that state.
Everything thats currently wrong with the country has Trump’s fingerprints on it. Remember where we were in January 2021:
The country was shuttered. Businesses, schools closed, hospitals overflowing, millions dead, everyone fighting over Covid restrictions, shortages of everything, people hoarding toilet paper, soap, cleaning products.
Fresh off a domestic terrorist attack on the capital and an economy in free fall. A president refusing to hand over the reins of power to the rightful winner, Joseph Biden.
Children being kept in fenced in pens, separated from their parents at the Mexican border. It was a disaster! But all Qnazis can bleat about is interest rates and gas prices…………
Endless Dark Money says
protect the fetus but let the children starve said the republicon.
Funny how little ron acts as if he didnt change decades of precent in the middle of the night and claims protecting freedom committee is deceptive by trying to protect women’s rights. 6 weeks is stupid takes that long to miss a period, but dont go telling a bunch a racist morons facts they dont like them. Facts are Woke.
Brian says
HAHAHAHAHA The stuttering, stumblebum Moron in Chief held a couple of “rallies” in Tampa, which were attended by 20 to 30 people – many of which were Secret Service agents.
Atwp says
Joe Biden is old and a little clumsy. He has my vote. Hopefully the abortion message will get him elected again. Hopefully it will get a lot of Democrats elected in November. I believe the abortion message help derail the Red Wave. We will see what will happen in November. Democrats we need to vote. We need to rid the anti small man Republicans. Insurance rates continue to rise, now it is very hard to fight against the Insurance Companies. Thank you anti small people Republicans. Democrats this is one of many reasons we need to vote the Republicans out of office.
TR says
Delusional.
Elizabeth Hartopp says
Why do some think the only thing female voters care about is abortion? We care about low taxes, limited government, low crime, job/career availability and opportunities, quality child care, and so much more. We are not just a walking uterus.
The dude says
Birthrates in Floriduh is not a winning ticket for President Joe.
The vast majority of the reliable voters in the state are FAR FAR FAR beyond child rearing age, and love to impose their will on others.
Especially when they themselves don’t have to bear the consequence of their decisions.