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WHAT THEY’RE READING: Florida’s Six-Week Abortion is Bad News for Rick Scott
In the days since the Florida Supreme Court ruling triggered a dangerous six-week abortion ban, Republicans are waking up to the fact that Rick Scott’s support for this cruel and unpopular ban could cost him his Senate seat.
Unfortunately for Scott, there’s no running from his support for the nearly all-out ban. Floridians can simply take his word for it: “I am 100% pro-life and if I was still governor, I would sign this bill.”
In the days since the Florida Supreme Court ruling triggered a dangerous six-week abortion ban, Republicans are waking up to the fact that Rick Scott’s support for this cruel and unpopular ban could cost him his Senate seat.
See below for a roundup of coverage on why Florida’s six-week abortion ban is bad news for Scott:
MSNBC: Why Florida is suddenly the key abortion battleground of 2024
– Rick Scott’s dilemma: The far-right incumbent senator, who’s running for a second term this year, has endorsed a six-week ban, and given the electoral circumstances, he probably wasn’t thrilled to learn of these new developments.
Washington Post: Republicans’ Abortion Woes Worsen
– Republicans’ zealotry for forced-birth laws might be the best thing ever to happen to the pro-choice movement.
– Meanwhile, in Florida, where Sen. Rick Scott (R) is up for reelection and hope springs eternal among Democrats to win at the presidential level, Democrats could get a boost from the proposed Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion…
Florida Politics: Debbie Mucarsel-Powell pounces on abortion rulings as ‘game changer’ in Senate race
– Voters don’t want a restriction on nearly all abortions in Florida, according to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. She expects voters this November to make that clear by firing Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.
Vanity Fair: Florida’s 6-Week Abortion Ban Could Screw Republicans in November
– Democrats believe the six-week ban will also affect races down the ballot, including former Florida representative Debbie Murcasel-Powell’s effort to win Rick Scott’s Senate seat (particularly because Scott has said he would have signed a six-week ban as governor).
Palm Beach Post: Abortion, marijuana measures raise hope for Democrats in Trump’s home state
– Ballot measures on abortion access and recreational marijuana may jolt election season in Florida, driving turnout among women and younger voters while giving Democrats renewed hope in former President Trump’s home state.
– U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican elected six years ago by just over 10,000 votes, is up for reelection this year. And his leading Democratic opponent, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, wasted little time lashing out at him for endorsing the six-week limit.
Sun Sentinel (opinion): Making Florida relevant again, immediately
– Nor has there been a word from Sen. Rick Scott, who has said he would have signed the six-week abortion ban had he been governor, and who could now face a much tougher re-election challenge from Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
CNN: How Trump’s greatest policy triumph could derail his bid to win back the White House
– Scott could be far more vulnerable than Trump statewide. The Republican defeated Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson by less than half a point in 2018, and he’s never run in a presidential year.
– The campaign of the Democratic front-runner to take him on, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, called the Florida Supreme Court decisions a “game changer.” And she sent out multiple fundraising emails hailing the ballot initiative.
Washington Post: Condoms, campaign ads: The fight for Florida voters after abortion rulings begins
– Democrats said the abortion rulings could also boost the efforts of former Florida Rep. Debbie Murcasel-Powell, who is challenging Republican Rick Scott for his U.S. Senate seat. Scott has said that he would have signed a six-week abortion ban while he was governor of Florida if it had been presented to him.