Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a 2024 run for the White house, signed into law a measure banning most abortions after six weeks in the Sunshine State. However, while signing SB 300 just hours after being passed by the Legislature, he waited until after 11 pm to publicly announce that he had done so.
Why the lack of fanfare? Because DeSantis is keenly aware that polling within his State shows that a majority in both parties oppose a six-week abortion ban. A University of North Florida poll in March “found 75% of 1,452 respondents said they either somewhat or strongly opposed the six-week ban. That included 61% of Republicans.” Nationally, Pew Research Center finds that “about six-in-ten Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases”.
The Florida governor is also aware of the large backlash that the overturning of Roe v. Wade has received, and how women’s reproductive rights have become a central issue for a majority of the country. Most women only find out they’re pregnant by the 5th or 6th week of pregnancy, meaning that for a lot of women in Florida, abortion will no longer be a viable option.
When asked about the policy, DeSantis is reported to have “appeared uncharacteristically tepid on the bill.” He has said, “We welcome pro-life legislation”; not exactly shouting about the new bill from the rooftops.
So, if and when Mr. DeSantis announces his presidential candidacy, he knows SB 300, the Heartbeat Protection Act, will be a setback when trying to win over the general electorate. No wonder he wants to keep it on the down-low.
7 comments:
It is interesting that Governor DeSantis signed a bill banning most abortions after six weeks, despite opposition from a majority of Floridians, which could potentially hurt his 2024 presidential campaign. As the issue of reproductive rights has become increasingly important to voters across the country, particularly among women, DeSantis's support for a highly restrictive abortion law may make it more difficult for him to appeal to a broad range of voters. Additionally, the fact that he appeared "tepid" about the bill and waited until after 11 pm to announce it suggests that he may be aware of the potential backlash against it. If he does decide to run for president in 2024, it remains to be seen how this issue will play out in the primaries and the general election. For his strategist, this has to be difficult to navigate as this may significantly hurt his chances of winning the presidency.
I find it quite interesting that despite Governor Ron DeSantis signing the bill to ban most abortions after six weeks in Florida, he waited until he made the announcement publicly (must be because polling shows a majority in both parties opposing such a ban). DeSantis' tepid response to the bill is necessary to note, as well. He is clearly aware of its potential impact on his presidential candidacy. I like how you covered that the Governor might be attempting to keep the bill low-key to avoid bad press and negative attention during a potential campaign. Overall, this post does a great job at highlighting the nature of the impacts of political decisions and ambition.
I dont understand why Governor Ron DeSantis signed this bill for both social reasons and political. He seemed to have been very quiet about the bill because he knew a majority of floridans opposed it and it can hurt him in upcoming elections. But this is also harming women who probably wont have any access to abortions now since most don’t find out about their pregnancy until the 6th week.
This is interesting politics; take the minority opinion for both political sides and use that even when just 40% of your voters support the decision. With so little support for governor DeSantis, will he even have a chance in the 2024 election? Even in a place that is as redneck and regressive as Florida is, there is still not enough votes and support for this legislation that takes away an equality necessity. This means that there is no chance that the United States will come to the result that he will win presidency -- "WHEW!"
I agree with what has been said so far. I think that this decision by DeSantis is one that is confusing for a lot of people because there are both social and political effects. In addition, I think it is also interesting to see what else he has done over the topic of abortion. In a politico article, the author mentions how DeSantis defends his decision even though it has been criticized by other republicans for being too strict and all the consequences that could occur due to his run in the presidential 2024 campaign.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/16/desantis-trump-florida-six-week-abortion-ban-00097154
Governor DeSantis doesn't make much sense for not only his political career but also the social aspect of this as well. Though a large majority doesn't support banning abortions(only a slim 40% of voters support this decision?), he went against the possible backlash which may come with his opinions. His decision as governor I believe also will hurt the health of low income women who can't afford to get abortions safely, in addition to women pregnant past 6 weeks desperate to get an abortion. Those who cannot get abortions safely will continue to get them illegally. Banning abortions doesn't necessarily stop the action itself, but defer women from doing so safely. Though Florida has held Republican senators and is dominated on the state level as well, I believe DeSantis should be prioritizing the desires of the people-- regardless, he most likely doesn't hold a chance in the 2024 election due to his unconventional opinion over such a controversial topic. We may have dodged a bullet...
I agree that DeSantis' act was strategically planned in hopes of saving himself some support when it comes to his presidential candidacy. Honestly, it strongly questions his competency for president as he knew there would be little support for this bill and was expressing and placing his beliefs over the state of Floridas. Given this recent decision and the public's resistance to this bill, I truly don’t think he will experience much success in the upcoming presidential elections.
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