Florida has become increasingly red in recent years. The Sunshine State held its primaries last month, and sure enough, Republicans continued to outperform Democrats there, by 14 percent in the August 21 primaries. They even led in early voting. Come November, Florida voters won't merely have a presidential race on their ballot, as well as House races and a race for the Senate, but they also have ballot initiatives regarding abortion and marijuana. As has been the case for months, Democrats seem to believe that such ballot initiatives will help them in the state this November, and the mainstream media appears all too willing to help further that narrative.
Florida's pro-abortion ballot initiative — Amendment 4 — was in the news last week as former and potentially future President Donald Trump, a Florida resident, made comments concerning the pro-life movement. When asked by NBC News how he planned to vote on the amendment, he focused on his opposition to banning most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, at about six weeks. The very next day, however, he clarified his comments when speaking to Fox News, warning how the amendment would allow for abortions up until birth for any reason, and made clear he would vote "no."
🚨BREAKING: President Trump says he is voting NO on Florida's Amendment 4, which would legalize abortion through the 9th month:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 30, 2024
"All of that stuff is unacceptable so I will be voting no for that reason." pic.twitter.com/a8vf6QNjqV
Had he not clarified, Trump's support for the amendment would be very bad news for the pro-life state and for unborn babies. Thankfully, he was quite clear on Friday in his opposition. Such an update hasn't stopped Democrats from talking about how the state is in play over abortion, though.
On Tuesday, Democrats and pro-abortion activists campaigned for Vice President Harris in Palm Beach, kicking off a "Fighting for Reproductive Rights" bus tour.
That was enough for Travis Akers, who lists Veterans for Harris-Walz on his X page, to claim "Florida is in play," as he listed out those campaigning.
Campaigning for Kamala Harris in Florida today:
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) September 3, 2024
-Sen. Amy Klobuchar
-Julie Chavez Rodriguez
-Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
-DNC Chair Jaime Harrison
-Ana Navarro
-Reproductive rights activist Anya Cook
Florida is in play.
The Hill put out no less than two articles on Tuesday about Florida supposedly being in play because of abortion.
As one headline claimed, "Democrats see abortion battle as chance to make gains in Florida." Early on, the piece acknowledged that it won't exactly be easy for Harris to win the state:
While winning the Sunshine State will be an uphill climb for Democrats, Vice President Harris’s campaign has increased its presence in Florida amid an effort to legalize the procedure in the state through a ballot initiative that will go before voters in November.
While the piece mentions Amendment 4, it tellingly leaves out Trump's comments accurately warning that the initiative will lead to legalized abortion up until birth, and claims that the "measure will allow [voters] to weigh in on whether to protect access to abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy." Due to vague language, a woman could get an abortion past 24 weeks if she claims her health is at risk.
The piece also references the Senate race between Republican Sen. Rick Scott and his Democratic challenger, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. She represented Florida's 26th Congressional District for only one term and was replaced by Republican Representative Carlos Gimenez after the 2020 election.
As the piece also mentions, including comments from an operative who wouldn't put a name to their statement:
Additionally, polls show an increasingly tight race for Florida’s Senate seat, as former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) hammers incumbent Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on abortion rights.
“Florida is undoubtedly more competitive now than it was a couple of months ago,” one Democratic operative said.
Still another article from Tuesday, this one from a local outlet, addressed claims about Florida. "Harris-Walz campaign's 'Reproductive Freedom' tour makes first stop in Palm Beach," read a headline from WPTV.
This article is pretty balanced, as it includes comments from those in support of the amendment and opposed. The comments from Democrats on the ground seem to be particularly distanced from reality, though:
“We keep showing up and that’s what we’ll do every single day,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
Organizers plan to make more than 50 stops around the country by Election Day, starting right here in Florida — a state that many Republicans have already claimed is a sure thing for the GOP.
"That voter registration number is Republican-manufactured," said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “It’s baloney and it’s a fabrication. We are going to invest in Florida and make sure we get those folks turn out to vote for Amendment 4, to vote for Kamala Haris and Tim Walz and a reproductive freedom ticket up and down the ballot.”