President Joe Biden is set to deliver a speech in Florida next week denouncing the state's six-week abortion ban, which goes into effect on May 1. The President will also discuss the stakes of this election for reproductive freedom across the entire country. Florida voters will have the chance to weigh in on the issue at the polls in November with Amendment 4, a citizen ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and permit abortions up to viability.
Biden's visit to Florida is a strategic one, as Florida's six-week ban will send shockwaves through the Southeast, including in important swing states like Georgia and North Carolina. Women from states with more restrictive abortion laws frequently seek care in Florida. In 2023, 6,566 out-of-state residents traveled to the Sunshine State for an abortion.
Florida Democrats are seizing on the legislation to generate support, pointing to Republican opponents' pro-life records. They credit their successes in the 2022 midterms to reinvigorated support for abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Biden previously attended a fundraiser and toured Hurricane Idalia damage in Miami. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is also scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Miami on April 27, joined by local mayors Rodney Harris, Javier Fernandez, Brent Latham and Crystal Wagar.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Parkland earlier this year to advocate for gun control measures and commit to more regulations of firearms. Her visit caused pushback from a father of one of the victims who demanded she stop using his daughter for photo ops.
Trump currently leads Biden in Florida polls by 8% according to Florida Atlantic University. Trump increases his lead when polling shows a three-way race with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Republican Party of Florida has continued to increase their lead of registered voters since the 2020 elections, currently having nearly 900,000 more than Democrats.