Ron DeSantis, using the levers of state government, ramps up efforts to defeat Florida abortion-rights ballot measure
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has undertaken a robust effort to build opposition to an abortion rights amendment on the November ballot for the 2024 election.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and allies in his administration have undertaken a robust effort to build opposition to an amendment on the November ballot that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution and undo a pinnacle piece of legislation he signed into law.
In recent weeks, one state agency launched a website attacking the ballot measure, another state agency threatened local television stations that had run an ad supporting it, and an election police unit created by DeSantis started investigating claims of fraud in the signature-gathering process for it months after it was approved for the ballot.
After a challenging year in which DeSantis’ presidential campaign flamed out and several school board candidates he backed lost primaries, Democrats and Republicans in the state see the heavy-handed moves as part of an effort by DeSantis, once a rising star in the GOP, to re-exert his political authority in the state and nationally.
“There is little doubt the governor has political skin in the game here. He got a boost politically after his hurricane response, but his standing politically is not what it once was after his loss on the national level and a less-than-ideal primary for candidates he backed,” said a veteran Florida Republican who previously worked for DeSantis, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “If he loses on the amendments, it will be another big blow. I don’t think it, like, ends his political career or anything, but it’s a continuation of a string of political losses for someone who for years did not have many.”
DeSantis’ critics go even further, arguing that using government resources to wade into a political fight is unethical and illegal.
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