Signing a Florida bill to limit abortion to the first six weeks of pregnancy, 44-year-old Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hopes to make more headlines as he considers a 2024 presidential run. Saying the Florida is a place “woke goes to die,” DeSantis hopes to sell himself as the heir apparent to 76-year-old former President Donald Trump, already charged April 4 by New York DA Alvin Bragg with 34 felonies for essentially bookkeeping errors. “Last night, after the legislature there passed the bill, he signed the “Heartbeat Protection Act,” said Jonathan Falwell, pastor at Liberty University, son of the late Liberty University founder Jerry Falwell Jr. “[The law] will protect all unborn babies because he authorizes and knows that life is a gift from God,” Falwell said, congratulating DeSantis for playing his part in the right-to-life movement, a key issue for Evangelical Christians.
Positioning himself as a champion of the right-to-life movement, DeSantis turns off the vast majority of mainstream voters, whether Democrat, Republican or independent, who favor giving women the right to choose their own medical care. When the Supreme Court ruled June 24, 2022 to end 1973 Roe v. Wade, giving women the right to abortion, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dobbs v. Jackson, that the Constitution did not confer a right to abortion. Signing his Heartbeat Protection Act, DeSantis joins the Christian evangelical movement to ban abortion around the country. Making pro-life a signature part of his agenda, DeSantis alienates a large swath of the population that sees the right to abortion as basic to women’s health. If Republicans want to hand 80-yer-old President Joe Biden a second term, they’ll continue pushing the pro-life cause, turning off mainstream voters.
Going to Liberty University to preach pro-life to the choir, DeSantis hoped to lock down the pro-life vote. DeSantis said nothing about his Florida six-week abortion bill. “We knew that he was going to be in favor of the heartbeat bill,” said Carla Nicole, a pro-life fashion entrepreneur from Philadelphia. “We had the convictions to guide us and we had the courage to lead, and because of our efforts Florida is now leading the nation,” DeSantis said. “We are No. 1 in the country for net un-migration. We are the No. fastest growing state in the United States. We ranked No. 1 in new business formations. Of course, we ranked No. 1 in tourism. We are No. 1 in economic freedom. We are No. 1 in education Freedom. We are No. 1 for parental involvement in education,” DeSantis boasted, hoping to divert attention away from the pro-life issue. DeSantis doesn’t like talking about abortion.
DeSantis fits the bill for young Republicans wanting a fresh face, not someone like 76-year-old former President Donald Trump who’s in the headlines daily usually butt of jokes by the mainstream press. Whatever happens with the Manhattan DA’s case, young voters don’t like that a candidate carries a lot of legal baggage. With Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland and Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case looming against Trump for Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago classified docs, not to mention the election fraud case in Georgia, young voters want a new candidate. Burnishing his pro-life credentials, DeSantis opens the door for a 2024 run for president. Apart from alienating the pro-abortion vote, DeSantis may not overcome his formidable deficits in recent polls when compared to Trump. Whether voters look for a fresh face or not, the vast majority of GOP voters see nothing wrong with following Trump.
Since the Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade, the vast majority of women and pro-choice voters are concerned about politicians turning too much to the right. If Trump or DeSantis want to make headway with general election voters, they need to focus on Biden’s abysmal performance on the economy and in foreign policy. DeSantis sits on the fence when it comes to 80-year-old President Joe Biden’s policy on Russia and China. Being at war with Russia and moving in that direction with China, voters should focus on Biden’s foreign policy and economic failures. Another four years of Biden and the U.S. could be in WW III, possibly nuclear war. However meaningful the pro-or-con abortion vote, there may not be a world left if Biden gets four more years. DeSantis needs to pivot to the economy and foreign policy to make his case for change in 2024. Biden offers more of the same madness in foreign policy and the economy.
Focusing on anti-wokeness or his pro-life stance, DeSantis turns off general election voters looking for a change in 2024. Instead of alienating pro-choice voters, DeSantis should focus on Biden’s failures on the economy and in foreign policy. Young voters are especially concerned about the Ukraine War where one mistake could widen the conflict to a war on the European Continent. When it comes to the economy, Biden doesn’t see how the Ukraine War fueled the worst worldwide inflation in 40 years, leading to sluggish economy growth in the U.S. and around the world. Pushing the abortion issue alienates mainstream voters, having more sympathy for a women’s right-to-choose than restricting access to abortion. If DeSantis wants to make headway for a 2024 run, he needs to talk about shoring up Social Security and Medicare, something close to senior voters.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
