{"id":2211928,"date":"2024-04-03T03:22:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T07:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-eye-upset-in-red-florida-after-court-puts-abortion-on-the-ballot\/"},"modified":"2024-04-03T08:46:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T12:46:50","slug":"democrats-eye-upset-in-red-florida-after-court-puts-abortion-on-the-ballot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-eye-upset-in-red-florida-after-court-puts-abortion-on-the-ballot\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats target flipping Florida by leveraging recent court decision on abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-eye-upset-in-red-florida-after-court-puts-abortion-on-the-ballot%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2211928&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent Florida court ruling has raised Democrats&#8217; hopes of winning the state with the addition of an \u200cabortion access measure to the\u200c November ballot. However, the\u2062 path to victory\u2064 is tough due to Republicans&#8217; structural advantages. The ruling has sparked\u2062 new life into Democratic\u200c campaigns, \u200bbut Florida remains a challenging state for Democrats to win. The recent Florida court ruling that included an abortion access measure on the November ballot \u200dhas boosted Democrats&#8217; \u2063aspirations for winning the state. Nonetheless, overcoming Republicans&#8217; structural advantages \u200dpresents \u2062a\u2063 challenging path to victory. While the ruling \u2063revitalized Democratic campaigns, prevailing in\u2064 Florida\u2064 continues to pose \u200csignificant difficulties for the party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A court ruling out of <a title=\"Florida\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Florida<\/a> is giving <a title=\"Florida\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Democrats<\/a> fresh hope they can win the state after a measure to guarantee abortion access was added to the November ballot.<\/p>\n<p>But the path to an upset, both at the top of the ticket and down ballot, will be difficult due to structural advantages Republicans have in the increasingly red state.<\/p>\n<p>The court ruling, issued by the Florida Supreme Court, approved a vote on an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\/\">abortion<\/a> rights amendment that mirrors <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em> in its cutoff at fetal viability. Simultaneously, the judges cleared the way for a six-week abortion ban signed by Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-desantis\/\">Ron DeSantis<\/a> (R-FL)\u00a0to go into effect on May 1.<\/p>\n<p>The decisions put abortion back in the spotlight, injecting new life into Democratic campaigns ahead of the general election, as the party sees the ballot measure, plus a second on recreational marijuana, as a way to drive out Democratic turnout in a year where enthusiasm may have been lacking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese very key amendments are going to be on the ballot, and that drives out a different constituency and are going to put Republicans at odds with a broad electorate,\u201d said Christian Ulvert, a Democratic strategist based in Miami-Dade.<\/p>\n<p>Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group that launched the abortion ballot initiative last year, said it collected more than 1 million signatures and that a large portion came from registered Republican voters. Previously, voters in states that put forward such ballot initiatives ended up codifying access.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2948969\/biden-campaign-florida-court-abortion-ballot-measure\/\">new memo<\/a>, President Joe Biden\u2019s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, writes that abortion \u201cwill help mobilize and expand the electorate in the state, given the overwhelming majority of Floridians support abortion rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFlorida Republicans will be forced to defend their cruel, indefensible support of this abortion ban,\u201d Chavez Rodriguez added.<\/p>\n<p>She emphasized that the rulings represented an \u201copening\u201d in Florida but conceded it is \u201cnot an easy state to win.\u201d Florida Democrats have <a href=\"https:\/\/dos.fl.gov\/elections\/data-statistics\/voter-registration-statistics\/voter-registration-reports\/voter-registration-by-party-affiliation\/\">lost ground<\/a> in voter registration to Republicans and have struggled to compete in the ground game.<\/p>\n<p>No Democratic presidential candidate or Senate candidate has won in the state since 2012, when President Barack Obama and former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) won reelection.<\/p>\n<p>Ulvert acknowledged the state has trended more red in recent years but sees this election as a major opportunity for Democrats to make up lost ground.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI appreciate when folks say Florida has become more red because on paper it has, but it hasn\u2019t become more red because of anything Republicans have done; it\u2019s because of what Democrats haven\u2019t done,\u201d Ulvert said.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to 2022, when DeSantis flipped Miami-Dade, a populous county that had previously been seen as a key Democratic stronghold in the state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI look at Miami-Dade as case in point, where Ron DeSantis won Miami-Dade, not because Republicans did anything right, not because they had some surge in registration; it\u2019s because 29% of Hispanic Democrats turned out to vote and 31% of black Democrats turned out to vote,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no way we win with that. There\u2019s zero path for us to win a county with those numbers; it\u2019s a lack of participation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the ruling came out on Monday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee noted that Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who is up for reelection this cycle, said he would have signed a six-week ban previously. The Florida senator is facing a challenge from former Rep. Debbie Murcarsel-Powell on the Democratic side.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fight against these new restrictions on access to abortion will shine a brighter spotlight on Rick Scott\u2019s long, dangerous record of supporting draconian abortion bans,\u201d said Maeve Coyle, a spokeswoman for the DSCC. \u201cIn November, Florida voters will stand up for women\u2019s freedom to make their most personal medical decisions by rejecting this abortion ban and firing Rick Scott from the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis, for his part, enacted a 15-week abortion ban in 2022 but then<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2586267\/desantiss-rivals-seize-on-governors-abortion-stance-retreating-on-life\/\"> signed a six-week law<\/a> as he mounted an unsuccessful presidential run that revolved around his strength in Iowa, a state with a critical evangelical population. Some Republicans believe DeSantis\u2019s actions could have negative implications once voters head to the polls this November.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is just adding fuel to the fire. I really think if he had left this at a 15-week ban, we wouldn\u2019t be in this politically precarious situation,\u201d said a former Florida Republican lawmaker, speaking on the condition of anonymity to reflect candidly on the situation. \u201cDemocrats have been irrelevant in this state for several years now, but now, this gives them another chance to take a bite of the apple, and I just think that\u2019s a shame.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not suggesting that these ballot measures are enough to doom former President Donald Trump in Florida, but I do have concerns about other Republican candidates who are now once again on defense on this issue,\u201d the person added.<\/p>\n<p>However, some Florida Republicans aren\u2019t as concerned, pointing to the fact that they control all political power in the state and their voting registration advantage continues to grow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously these two ballot amendments will certainly boost turnout in Florida and will likely be to the benefit of Democrats. That said, though, Republicans have an 800,000 voter registration advantage in the state, and it only keeps growing larger,\u201d said Ford O\u2019Connell, a Republican strategist in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connell also noted that Floridians have previously elected Republicans while also approving ballot measures that increased the minimum wage, legalized medical marijuana, and restored felons\u2019 voting rights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think what a lot of people miss is that Florida over its time has had a tendency to vote for left-leaning ballot initiatives, and still right-leaning candidates,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the abortion measure, a divided Florida Supreme Court also approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would approve the recreational use of marijuana, which Democrats see as another opportunity to attract voters.<\/p>\n<p>Ulvert said he expects to see more resources and money flowing into the state as a result of the ballot measures and that Democrats shouldn\u2019t be afraid to invest in the state, even though there aren\u2019t many races that could determine the balance of power in Congress, or who occupies the White House.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Biden campaign will be tempted to avoid Florida and focus instead on tight battlegrounds including Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The same can be said for the Senate map, with Democrats forced to pour resources into Ohio and Montana in a bid to maintain their narrow control of the upper chamber.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll the opportunity for resources to come into the state is very real now,\u201d Ulvert said. \u201cWe cannot allow a state like Florida to recede when it comes to freedom and reproductive rights, so infusion of resources makes an even more compelling case of why this becomes a battleground state.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Florida court ruling has buoyed Democrats&#8217; prospects of winning, as an abortion access measure was added to the November ballot. However, overcoming Republican structural advantages presents a challenging path to an upset victory, both at the top of the ticket and down ballot<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2211929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24092741442571-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Democrats target flipping Florida by leveraging recent court decision on abortion","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2211928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24092741442571-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Democrats target flipping Florida by leveraging recent court decision on abortion","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2211928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2211929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2211928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2211928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2211928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}