Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson believes she has the playbook for turning Florida blue, though she admits a second term for former President Donald Trump could thwart those plans.
Benson discussed Michigan lessons for Florida Democrats with journalists ahead of her keynote speech at a Ruth’s List She’s the Change Conference & Gala in Miami on Saturday, when she pointed to a ballot referendum approved by Michigan voters in 2022 to enshrine “reproductive health” into the state’s constitution.
There are no words to express our gratitude to everyone who came together to make our #ShesTheChange Conference & Gala so spectacular! We were so honored to have Michigan Secretary of State @JocelynBenson focus her keynote address on how what Michigan has done is possible in FL. pic.twitter.com/LVx8jVIQP1
— Ruth's List Florida (@RuthsListFL) May 21, 2024
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More than a decade ago, “Michigan was where Florida is today,” said Benson, who credited the state’s Democratic women politicians with putting an end to four decades of Republicans in control of Michigan government, Politico reports.
“Don’t sleep on Florida, because Michigan has shown how in just a few years – when women pull up their sleeves and support each other and don’t take no for an answer – you can actually achieve great things that no one saw coming,” she said. “That really is the Michigan story and I think, in the near future, it will be the Florida story as well.”
10 to 14 years ago, Michigan was where Florida is today. Don’t sleep on Florida, because Michigan has shown how in just a few years, when women pull up their sleeves and support each other and don’t take no for an answer, you can actually achieve great things that no one saw…
— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) May 20, 2024
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Benson’s visit followed about six weeks after the Florida Supreme Court approved both a ballot referendum to enshrine abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy in the state’s constitution and new restrictions passed by lawmakers that limit abortions to six weeks, according to U.S. News & World Report.
“This means every single Florida voter will have the chance to vote to enshrine abortion access in their state constitution in November,” Nancy Northrup, CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said following the April Florida Supreme Court decisions. “Every single time that states have put abortion directly on the ballot, voters have chosen to protect it, and now, Florida voters will have the chance to do the same.”
The situation sets up a showdown in November in a state where voters are currently favoring former President Trump over President Joe Biden 45.8% to 35%, according to 538’s rolling average since April 18.
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And unlike Michigan, where 56.7% of voters approved the abortion referendum during a midterm election, the threshold in Florida is 60%.
“Those who oppose these types of reproductive rights referendums have figured out that by requiring a supermajority, that’s how you defeat it,” Benson said. “What voters have to take from that is that they have to do even more work than we’ve done in Michigan.”
The key, according to Benson, will be to leverage Democratic women politicians to convince voters there’s a relationship between abortion rights and the economy. In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Benson and others focused on the threat folks would stay if they “knew they could have access to reproductive freedom and health care – and they would leave if they thought they couldn’t,” Benson said, according to Politico.
“The challenge and opportunity is to link reproductive freedom to economic freedom and political freedom,” she said, adding that success will depend on those “on the ground organizing and building an infrastructure to ensure citizens are able to express themselves and their support for this initiative.”
While a CBS News poll from May showed 60% of Floridians plan to vote in support of the abortion referendum, the same poll showed other issues were far more important to likely voters.
Among the major factors in voting for president, the economy topped the list, followed by inflation, the state of democracy, crime, U.S.-Mexico border, and gun policy. Abortion was sixth.
The economy and inflation, in particular, are eating into Biden’s support in Florida, where Trump is viewed more favorably on those issues.
“Mr. Biden is faring worse with key parts of the Democratic coalition than in 2020, which partly explains why he’s further back today than he was four years ago,” according to CBS News. “One notable group is Hispanic voters – and the economy explains a lot of that.
“Most of Florida’s Hispanic voters think they’d be worse off financially if Mr. Biden wins.”
A second term for Trump, who Democrats claim wants a national abortion ban, could effectively negate the referendum in Florida, Benson acknowledged, even if it’s approved by voters.
“You have to be consistent in ensuring you’re supporting candidates at the local, state and federal level, as well as ballot initiatives that support reproductive freedoms,” she said. “Otherwise, you’re not going to actually have them.”