FL Democrats insist: ‘Florida continues to be a battleground’

Florida Democrats asserted a claim for political relevance Wednesday, one day after President Joe Biden made his first campaign stop in this former swing state that increasingly has been moving toward Republicans.

Led by Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried, Democrats with seats in Congress, the Florida Legislature, and local government insisted the ground is shifting in their direction.

Especially on abortion rights, which will be up to the voters in November via the proposed Amendment 4 to the Florida Constitution. The measure would block government interference with access to the procedure before fetal viability, overriding a law banning the procedure before six weeks’ gestation with almost no exceptions, which takes effect May 1.

“Florida continues to be a battleground,” Fried insisted during a Zoom conference with reporters, saying Amendment 4 could draw swing voters who might be more inclined to vote for Biden and other Democrats.

“Over the next six months we are going be hearing horrific stories of women going to emergency rooms after miscarriages or pregnancy complications, many of whom will have to travel a day or more to get the care that they need, if they can make it that long,” Fried said.

“I have been in the Legislature since 2012, and ever since then I have seen some kind of attempt to chip away at women’s rights to make decisions about their lives,” said state Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami-Dade County.

Whether Florida truly is in play is open to debate. Trump beat Biden by 3.3 percentage points in 2020 and has led in recent polls. Moreover, Republicans lead Democrats by 892,034 in voter registration, based on active registered voters and updated on April 9.

Kathy Castor, the congresswoman from the Tampa Bay area, said backlash from the abortion restrictions will matter in November.

“We’re going to make sure people know that Donald Trump did this — he’s the reason that we’re in this position now, along with Ron DeSantis and a very extreme and cruel Florida Legislature,” Castor said.