President Joe Biden blamed Republican rival Donald Trump for new abortion restrictions in Florida during a campaign stop in Tampa on Tuesday, with Democrats doubling down on their intentions to take over the state where Trump lives.
This month, the Florida Supreme Court cleared the way for a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, starting May 1, before many women realize they are pregnant. The Court also ruled that a measure legalizing abortion until the fetus is viable can be put before voters in November.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the conservative U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 opened the door for Florida and other states to establish their own abortion laws. Trump campaigned in 2016 saying he would include judges to overturn Roe and nominated three who would do so.
“Let’s be very clear: There is one person responsible for this nightmare,” Biden said. “He brags about it. Donald Trump,” Biden told supporters.
“It should be a constitutional right,” Biden said, regarding abortion. “It’s not about states’ rights. It’s about women’s rights.”
Abortion is a major issue in the 2024 election. Democrats believe tough restrictions like those in Florida and Arizona, which retained a 160-year-old abortion ban this month, will lead voters to support Biden. American voters overwhelmingly reject strict abortion bans, according to polls and state ballot initiatives.
Access to abortion almost no longer exists in Southern states because of new laws, almost all supported by Republicans, that force women to use the procedure in other states.
Trump’s position on the issue has been mixed in recent weeks. The Republican distanced himself from Arizona’s decision to maintain a 160-year-old ban, even taking credit for appointing three Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. Wade and made statewide restrictions possible.
“Donald Trump is worried that voters will hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created,” Biden said. “And we will. He should be held accountable.”
Later, at another campaign stop, Biden told a small group of Democrats that he thought “Florida is in play nationally.”
BATTLE FOR FLORIDA
Florida has 30 Electoral College votes and has long been a key battleground state, but Republicans have distanced themselves from Democrats in recent years.
Trump won Florida in 2020 with 51.2% of the vote, compared to Biden’s 47.9%. In 2022, Republican Ron DeSantis won the election for governor by a landslide, with 59.4% of the vote.
A compilation of polls from FiveThirtyEight, an election data website, shows Trump with a significant lead in Florida.
Source: Terra
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