A.G. Gancarski
The current Governor’s tenure has seen restrictions imposed on abortion and maintained on adult-use marijuana.
But in comments to a conservative radio host based in New York, Ron DeSantis acknowledged that he expects more than half the state to vote for amendments supporting the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana and the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion.
“Even though I think we’ll keep them under 60, you know, both of them are likely to get in excess of 50% of the vote, and so we’re going against the headwinds here,” DeSantis said on the Shannon Joy Show.
The 60% threshold is meaningful. In 2006, 58% of people voted to ratify a rule requiring 60% support in order for proposed constitutional amendments to be successful.
Subsequent pushes regarding the supermajority requirement haven’t gotten traction up until now, but the high-dollar and high-profile challenges to the Republican power structure suggest the issue might be ripe for reconsideration in 2025.
Former President Donald Trump has complicated the messaging on both issues.
He dithered on opposing the abortion amendment, voicing opposition to Florida’s ban on the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. Trump simultaneously faced heat from Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who has blamed Trump’s Supreme Court picks for scuttling Roe v. Wade and stopping access to the procedure.
Trump, meanwhile, is supporting the recreational pot push.
Whether one or both of the amendments does better than Trump or U.S. Sen. Rick Scott on the ballot remains to be seen, but DeSantis has strenuously messaged against the amendments.
6 comments
cassandra was right
October 28, 2024 at 2:14 pm
‘We’re going against the headwinds here.’
“headwinds”? That’s what ‘We the People’ are to these tyrants! We already fought that war once! Our side won! No kings! Vote for DEMOCRACY!
Vote Harris — Walz!
Tom
October 28, 2024 at 2:44 pm
I guess ronnie can’t stand it when his political stunts go awry so now he’s spending the money from the opioid settlement to make himself look less like a fool. Since he got massacred in the primary, he just can’t get no respect anymore.
MH/Duuuval
October 28, 2024 at 2:14 pm
MAGA slick: “The 60% threshold is meaningful. In 2006, 58% of people voted to ratify a rule requiring 60% support in order for proposed constitutional amendments to be successful.”
Cheesy Floridian
October 28, 2024 at 2:36 pm
He’s even saying that he knows that the majority of Floridians support these amendments but he is going to try to kill them. Which says that he KNOWS that we don’t like these laws and probably others that he is passing but he is stating that this is what Floridians want. No it’s what DeSantis wants. That’s not right. He is an elected official who is supposed to try and support legislation and things in the state that the PEOPLE want. It shows he isn’t listening to the people. sad very very sad
MH/Duuuval
October 28, 2024 at 2:40 pm
Floridians are watching in real time the evolution of a Trump lackey into a Trump fascist.
No fascism before its time.
ScientoligistDeSantis
October 28, 2024 at 3:00 pm
I’m 66 years old…The election propaganda campaign that DeSantis has interfered with our taxes , has been the most corrupt political campaign I’ve ever witnessed. He’s lied, bullied and stolen from God knows what and who…and now he’s deflecting to predictions. Congratulations Ron, you have lost 2, $100 million races in the same calendar year…”nobody has ever seen anything like it.: YES ON 4