DeSantis takes chance on abortion, in strong contrast with both Biden and Trump
Haisten Willis
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed a strict abortion ban into law Thursday evening, laying a marker down on a divisive issue ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
DeSantis had signed a more moderate 15-week ban into law last year but then went further with a bill barring most abortions after just six weeks of pregnancy thanks to a Republican supermajority in the state legislature. The move puts him at odds with both President Joe Biden and, to a lesser extent, former President Donald Trump.
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“Signed the Heartbeat Protection Act,” DeSantis tweeted, “which expands pro-life protections and devotes resources to help young mothers and families.”
The new bill contains exceptions to save the woman’s life and for pregnancies involving rape or incest until 15 weeks. Still, it makes the state’s abortion laws some of the most restrictive in the country.
Predictably, the White House put out a statement denouncing the bill even before DeSantis signed it, calling it “extreme and dangerous” and out of step with the views of most voters.
But it’s also a notable contrast to Trump, DeSantis’s biggest rival in next year’s GOP primary.
Trump has largely shied away from the issue of abortion following last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and even blamed it for poor Republican performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
Forging an alliance with the religious Right helped Trump win the presidency in 2016, and he delivered with three conservative Supreme Court justices that shifted the balance of the court and made abortion a state-by-state issue again. But Trump prefers to leave the issue to the states, which has harmed his status with social conservatives.
The Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group called focusing on states’ rights “an unacceptable position for any 2024 GOP presidential contender to hold.”
As of Friday, 13 states have banned abortion with little to no exceptions, and Georgia and Florida have a six-week ban in place.
DeSantis might be able to capitalize on this difference in the GOP primary, where he’s been losing ground to Trump in recent polls.
The question then is what would happen in the general election.
“I happen to think that the abortion issue is going to blow up on our face if we don’t handle it correctly and that Trump is in a far better position politically than either DeSantis or [former Vice President Mike] Pence,” Republican strategist John Feehery said. “Sen. Tim Scott’s [R-SC] reluctance to engage in this issue shows how politically explosive it can be.”
Scott launched his presidential exploratory committee with a video heavy on themes of religion and faith but has signaled support for only a 20-week abortion ban and has largely steered clear of opining on the Texas ruling to freeze approval of an abortion pill.
When pressed further about abortion during a stop in New Hampshire, Scott underscored the “extreme” position of the Left.
“We never actually have a conversation about the most radical position in this country are the people in the progressive party who believe that having an abortion on the 39th and 40th week, on the date of birth, is permissible,” he added. “So I think we should continue to have that conversation.”
At the other end, DeSantis is being labeled as extreme by the Biden administration and other Democrats, who will continue hammering him on the issue should he become the Republican presidential nominee.
“It’s just political suicide,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said.
Bannon was surprised DeSantis made the move because he does not think moderate voters will support it, though he acknowledges it could help in the primary. Democrats campaigned heavily on abortion access in last fall’s elections, a cycle in which the party outperformed expectations.
“It helps him beat Trump and makes it harder for him to beat Biden,” Bannon said. “That’s a basic principle in politics: Anything GOPers do to help themselves with the GOP base hurts them next November.”
DeSantis could theoretically pivot toward the center after securing the nomination, saying the issue should be up to the states rather than the federal government, but that may risk alienating both moderates and the conservative base.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll conducted earlier this week found that half of respondents strongly or somewhat oppose a national six-week abortion ban, which includes 44% of Republicans. According to the same poll, 43% of Republicans were less likely to vote for a politician limiting abortion access.
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DeSantis claims in his book, The Courage to Be Free, that he has rejected polls as governor and does not use them to make decisions.
That has worked out well so far, as he was reelected last November with nearly 60% of the vote. Time will tell if he’s vindicated when it comes to abortion as well.