At a press conference today, Gainesville leaders spoke out against Ron DeSantis’ long record in Congress of voting to take away health care from Floridians, gut protections for pre-existing conditions, and raise health care costs. As governor, DeSantis would bring the far right policies he has embraced in Congress to Tallahassee and has already promised not to expand Medicaid as governor — denying health care coverage to 800,000 Floridians

Mayor Lauren Poe: “This election is all about health care and who has access to it. We have Andrew Gillum who believes health care is a basic right and every single person should have access to it. On the other hand, we have Republican Ron DeSantis who has consistently voted to cut health care coverage and to put a barrier between people in our community and their access to health care.”

Gainesville City Commissioner David Arreola: “A few years ago, when I was in college, I was actually a constituent of Ron DeSantis. And he consistently, every time, voted against my interests. He voted against my ability to stay on my parents’ health insurance plan, he voted to repeal the pre-existing condition protection. This is not someone can have the in the governor’s office. Florida cannot rely on Ron DeSantis to expand healthcare.”

Dr. Cynthia Chestnut, Chair, Alachua County Democratic Party Executive Committee: “We are here with a simple message: Ron DeSantis has spent the last six years in Congress attacking Floridians’ health care. His record is extreme, it is radical — and it is cruel. Year after year, DeSantis has voted against Floridians’ best interests. He has voted to take away their health care, gut protections for pre-existing conditions, and raise health care costs. And as governor, he would bring that extreme record to Tallahassee by refusing to expand Medicaid and denying health care to 800,000 Floridians.

Yvonne Hayes Hanson, Candidate for Congress: “Ron DeSantis believes health care is a privilege, not a right, and he has consistently voted against Florida’s working families in Congress.”

Dr. Kayser Enneking: “Despite the callous efforts of Ron DeSantis and Ted Yoho, the Affordable Care Act worked. What DeSantis and Yoho have done is destabilize healthcare, including health care for children, for mothers and for our seniors. Trumpcare, which is what they support, would allow insurance to deny coverage to Floridians with pre-existing conditions. That’s one in four Floridians.”