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.
20 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.
JustBabs
October 29, 2024 at 7:27 am
Florida voters need to demand they drop that threshold back to 50%. When Desantis raised it to 60% it was revenge for those initiatives he didn’t want, like the minimum wage and the restoration of the felon votes. His a tiny, vindictive man. He could care less what the voters want.
Cheesy Floridian
October 29, 2024 at 9:23 am
I’m sorry but you are mistaken. in 2006 voters “approved” by 58% or something that the threshold needs to be 60% to pass amendments to the constitution. It wasn’t Ron DeSantis as much as I would like to blame him. But what he is doing to these 2 amendments with our tax dollars doesn’t right at all. Or legal.
MH/Duuuval
October 29, 2024 at 2:07 pm
Correct. Dee and his MAGA mates played 3-card monte with Florida voters, blaming an amendment for pregnant pigs as the rationale for upping the limit to 60%.
Here’s hoping some of his own urine blows into Dee’s face by the headwinds.
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.
cassandra was right
October 28, 2024 at 6:11 pm
Doubly disgusting since the Dobbs majority ruled that abortion should be returned to the people AND that women didn’t need to rely on Roe because women “are not without” political power!
I Am Speaking.
October 28, 2024 at 7:18 pm
i support a woman’s right to choose, I always have. With that being said the reason I voted NO is because of the financial ramifications of this amendment. I posted yesterday verbatim the language that is contained in the amendment. Again in a nutshell there is uncertainty about whether the amendment will require the state to subsidize abortions with public funds. Litigation and other uncertainties will result in additional costs to the state government and courts which will negatively impact the state budget. So there is a big unknown on the costs or who pays.
YEW OWEME
October 29, 2024 at 6:24 am
what a big florida mess. is desantis incapable of anything good for the state, or is he happy with all the bad changes he’s made. you get to live inthe desantis’ mess, i don’t.
Cheesy Floridian
October 29, 2024 at 9:24 am
Are you serious? You believed the lies in the financial statement? You do realize that is exactly what DeSantis wanted right was to trick people. He is currently USING OUR TAX DOLLARS to fight against freedom and you just gave him the green light to keep doing it.
Cheesy Floridian
October 29, 2024 at 9:26 am
ALSO you just gave him the ability to pass an even stricter ban then the one is already in place. I honestly cannot believe what I just read what you typed. You are PRO CHOICE but you voted no because of the financial impact to the state? Honestly???????? WOW wow
MarvinM
October 29, 2024 at 1:19 pm
Well, you already voted so I can’t change your mind, but if anyone else is out there who hasn’t voted and is on the fence about this one [YES on 4], don’t worry about the financial impact statement. The state is just trying to scare you (and apparently it is working too well). Sure, someone could hypothetically bring a lawsuit, but why? Hyde Amendment still in place, Medicaid still a state-federal partnership.
If money is what you are more concerned about than IDK, freedom, then think about what voting no on 4 will (and already is) costing you/us. Tens of thousands of women and their babies being eligible for Florida medicaid. Once they are born, more people in the state needing and getting benefits such as food stamps.
Here’s a wacky idea – why don’t we just let the individual people involved decide if an abortion is right for them in their circumstances, and keep the government the hell out of it?
YES on 4.
MH/Duuuval
October 29, 2024 at 2:13 pm
Talk about word salad — that’s a steaming mess Peachy boiled up.
All about the money, but no mention of the human right to control one’s person from unwanted intrusion and intervention by the state and other autocratic voyeurs.
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
Cheesy Floridian
October 29, 2024 at 9:25 am
Thank you
Linwood Wright
October 28, 2024 at 8:31 pm
Both will pass. Easily.
Dont Say FLA
October 29, 2024 at 12:34 pm
And evermore Floridians will pass on re-electing any Florida GOPs who exempted Rhonda from Resign to Run and also exempted from Sunshine laws Rhonda’s widely reported conversion of the Florida State Treasury’s funds to their person campaign funds.
MH/Duuuval
October 29, 2024 at 2:08 pm
They need 60 percent — anything less fails.
Comments are closed.