DeSantis demands Republicans publicly oppose abortion amendment

Gov. Ron DeSantis is demanding that elected Florida Republicans join him in opposition to the proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution. And he wants some of their campaign money to help fund the effort to defeat Amendment 4.

DeSantis laid down the political law for Republicans on Saturday night in Broward County: His party’s elected officials must publicly oppose the proposed referendum on the November election ballot. Some haven’t, which DeSantis depicted as a sign of weakness.

“It’s important that all of our political leaders, you know, stand up and be counted. Right now. You know, there’s some people that just, it’s like the political winds. Like if the winds are against you, you run and hide. That’s not leadership, that is not what’s going to make this state great,” DeSantis said. “You’ve got to stand up even when it’s not easy, even when you’re taking the arrows, stand up and do what’s right.”

Speaking to hundreds of activists, donors and elected officials at a Republican Party of Florida fundraising dinner at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, he offered a litany of criticisms of the abortion-rights amendment and another proposed amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana for adults.

His opposition to the amendments isn’t new, but it was intense. Half of his 25-minute keynote address to the party’s Victory Dinner was devoted to the two amendments.

The governor described the marijuana legalization proposal, Amendment 3, as “creating a corporate marijuana cartel.” He labeled the abortion-rights proposal, Amendment 4, the “abortion till birth amendment.” Both are so bad, he said, that even supporters of abortion rights and legalized marijuana should vote “no.”

Calling out Republicans

One element of the speech stood out: his criticism of fellow Republicans.

DeSantis praised Republican elected officials, by name, who are standing with him in opposition to Amendment 4 on abortion rights and contributing financially to the effort aimed at defeating it.

The Republican governor also was sharply critical of Republicans who aren’t publicly opposing the amendment.

“Every one of our elected representatives needs to say where they stand on this. And obviously it would be a ‘no.’ All these people that have run [for office] have all run saying they’re pro-life, right? And so now you have an amendment that is the most extreme in the other direction you can go, and some are not saying anything or not offering to help us to defeat this,” DeSantis said.

At one point, he divided 22 Republican U.S. senators and U.S. representatives into three categories.

Of the 22, he named 10 and praised who he said are publicly opposed to Amendment 4 and have supported the opposition financially. That group included U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Gimenez from Miami-Dade County.

DeSantis listed six more who he said are publicly opposing Amendment 4 but haven’t contributed financially, a tier that includes U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Miami-Dade County.

Finally he called out the other six — though he didn’t say their names from the stage at the Republican event — for not declaring public opposition to the abortion-rights amendment. That category would include U.S. Rep Brian Mast, whose district includes northern Palm Beach County, and U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio. After this article was published, Mast’s campaign said the governor was incorrect, and that Mast has publicly urged ‘every Floridian’ to vote ‘no’ on Amendment 4 this year.