JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Democratic National Committee wants to make sure voters know it’s been one year since Roe V. Wade was overturned.
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The DNC has launched a new ad in key battleground states highlighting Republican Presidential candidates’ abortion stances, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed a six-week ban into law earlier this year.
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The law will take effect if the Florida Supreme Court rules to uphold the state’s current 15-week ban.
The DNC’s six-figure ad buy will run on social media, streaming platforms and includes a billboard in Tallahassee.
For Jacksonville Democratic State Representative Angie Nixon, the investment in the Sunshine State sends a clear message.
“It lets folks know that Florida is still in play. The win here in Duval County lets folks know that Florida is still in play,” Nixon said.
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But Chair of the Florida Republican Party Christian Ziegler doesn’t see abortion playing a major role in the outcome of Florida’s 2024 elections.
“Abortion for some of these voters is really their single-issue vote and frankly, those people are most likely never going to vote Republican anyway,” Ziegler said.
He argued Florida Republicans countered the pro-choice vote more successfully than other states in 2022 by homing in on parental rights.
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“Blocking children from being sexualized and indoctrinated in schools far outweighs the issue of abortion when it comes to issue intensity and driving voters to the polls,” Ziegler said.
But Nixon views 2024 differently due to the state possibly moving from a 15-week ban to a six-week ban ahead of the election and Republicans pushing further to the right on a host of other issues this year.
“I think it’s actually going to be compounded upon other freedoms that were stripped and attacked during this past legislative session,” Nixon said.
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Republicans do have a voter registration advantage heading into 2024.
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According to the state party Republicans now outnumber Democrats by nearly half a million voters, representing a registration shift of roughly 750,000 voters since DeSantis took office in 2019.
