But the six-week ban pushes the outer limits of anti-abortion rights initiatives. If he gets this far among DeSantis independents and suburban voters in the general election, it could spell trouble for him.
“We’re going to own this and his agenda everywhere he goes,” said one NDP operative who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss party strategy. “Going to Michigan? Abortion ban. Are you going to Ohio next week? Abortion ban. It will take different forms, but let’s hang this incredibly toxic abortion ban and his agenda around his neck with different tactics.
The activist added that it was one of several points of attack against DeSantis, who has taken a number of positions on social issues that Democrats believe won’t sit well with swing voters.
A spokesperson for DeSantis declined to comment for this story. But Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told POLITICO that the six-week moratorium is not the millstone that Democrats believe it to be.
“There’s a growing consensus around the country that once there’s a heartbeat, it’s a human,” he said. “So the governor is not out at all. … In fact, it strengthens his position.”
Although DeSantis has not formally entered the presidential race, a campaign to link him to a six-week ban has already begun, according to interviews with a dozen people from several battleground states.
New programs include attack ads, knocking on doors in swing states Roe v. Wade in June, and voter registration across the country.
“Planned Parenthood and political organizations will make sure everyone is aware of his dangerous and radical record on abortion rights,” Planned Parenthood Action Fund Vice President Jenny Lawson said in a statement. The organization is considering door-to-door canvassing, digital ads and direct mail, Olivia Cappello said in a recent interview.
In response to the Supreme Court’s overturn, the Planned Parenthood network has sent millions of dollars to voters. Roe v. Wade Last year. In advance of the resolution, Arms of the organization announced a $16 million advertising campaignand cost More than $50 million A few months later in the 2022 midterms.
The leader of Southwest Florida’s smallest Women’s Voice organization, which rallied against the ban at the state capitol this week, has also pledged to try to reach out to aggressive voters.
“We all vowed to knock on doors and go to other states to let people know what DeSantis has done for Florida,” the organization’s Sarah Parker said in an interview. “We don’t have a lot of money, but we will raise.”
DeSantis doesn’t share that problem. A PAC supporting his candidacy boasted of raising $30 million several weeks ago, and he has proven himself a prodigious fundraiser in the past — helping him cement himself as the leading Republican alternative to Trump.
For many on the right, especially those angry at Trump, DeSantis’ support for the six-week ban is proof that he is a very reliable ally in their fight to end the practice nationwide.
“I’ve known him since he hit the floor in Congress,” Perkins said. “He has, since the beginning, made very firm decisions on many policy issues, from religious freedom to economic issues.”
Florida’s six-week abortion ban received final legislative approval as the issue of abortion access again dominates headlines. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed Wednesday to allow the abortion pill mifepristone to remain on the market. with restrictions Unless the Supreme Court intervenes, millions of people will be barred from access.
Florida now joins at least 12 states — including Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky and Louisiana — that have approved bans on abortions after six weeks, when many people don’t even know they’re pregnant.
“This bill is brutal,” said Ryan Stitzlein, NARAL’s senior national policy director. “This issue may ignite a small part of their primary base, but it is very unpopular with voters in this country. … We enable more than 4 million members across the country. They will call, write and knock on doors.
Democrats’ faith is rooted in both Referendum It proves small bipartisanship Such strict abortion bans and hunger for recent case studies. Five months after Republicans failed to score sweeping victories in the midterm elections, the Democratic nominee for the Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated his opponent by 11 points in a race focused on abortion. Even moderate Republicans crossed the aisle to donate to his winning campaign.
“You have to ignore the national polls, because that’s not how people win presidential nominations. They win every state, and if you look at the bellwether reports that Trump or DeSantis should win, they have big, big problems on the abortion issue,” said the Wisconsin Supreme Court winning campaigner. Janet Protasiewicz — a political fundraiser for Patrick Kurasi candidate — said in an interview this week. “They’re being held hostage by donors and their far-right extremists.”
Kurasi said abortion ranked as a major issue in the recent election.
“It’s going to be hard for Trump or DeSantis to win the presidency without some sort of answer to that question,” he added.
Dozens of protesters have been protesting in Tallahassee and have been arrested in civil disobedience. Even though they knew they had no chance of changing the course of the bill, they continued to gather to condemn it until Wednesday night. State Democratic Party Chairman Nikki Fried warned that DeSantis “will not stand with Florida.”
DeSantis isn’t the only Republican facing pressure for his stance on abortion. Democrats should note that Trump appointed impeached judges Ro. Sen. Tim Scott (RS.C.), in his second day of campaigning since the announcement of the Presidential Inquiry Committee, Deflected, diverted and avoided Specific details when repeatedly pressed on where he stood on federal abortion restrictions.
But unlike Trump or Scott, DeSantis signed legislation limiting access. Democrats don’t want to forget voters.
“This man is clearly wrong for Michigan,” Michigan Lt. Gov. Carlin Gilchrist, a Democrat, said in a conference call ahead of DeSantis’ recent visit to the state. “But he’s also wrong for America. He’ll be burdened by his anti-choice, anti-women, anti-reproductive freedom stances.
