Abortion is on the Florida ballot. Democrats say they want Kamala Harris involved

Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is looking more and more likely to get the Democratic nomination for president, the campaign for Florida’s abortion-rights ballot initiative is coming into sharper focus.

Harris has been the White House’s leading voice in messaging on abortion, often laying the blame for the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade with former President Donald Trump. And while Florida Democrats have sought to make the issue nonpartisan, they still want Harris to lean into that message.

“She’s very clear about which party will protect this freedom,” Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa told the Herald/Times, adding that Florida Democrats’ language has been in “lockstep.”

Driskell continued, “The way to talk about this issue is to talk about protecting Floridians’ freedom to make their own personal medical decisions without governmental interference, and that’s how Vice President Harris talks about abortion access.”

A leading voice on Florida abortion-rights for the White House, Driskell moderated a roundtable held by Harris in Orlando in 2022 after the fall of Roe v. Wade. She’s since participated in other abortion-rights events with Harris, including on the campaign trail.

Driskell endorsed Harris for president on Sunday, as did two other notable Democratic leaders in the Florida Legislature: Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando and outgoing Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book of Davie.

Supporters of Florida’s proposed constitutional amendment, though, haven’t always been thrilled about messaging around the vote from the top of the Democratic Party, given the interest in winning over voters of all persuasions to support a ballot question that needs 60% support to pass.

Lauren Brenzel, the campaign director for Floridians Protecting Freedom, the sponsor of the abortion-rights ballot amendment, said their group had “no stance” Harris’ messaging on the issue going forward should she become the Democratic nominee.

Eskamani criticized President Joe Biden’s campaign in April for politicizing the abortion issue when they called Florida “winnable” after the state Supreme Court cleared the amendment for the November ballot.

But Eskamani said Biden’s team has since changed its tune, recognizing that the Florida ballot initiative is “non partisan.”

“They should absolutely talk about how former President Trump and Republicans are responsible for Florida’s extreme near-total abortion ban,” Eskamani said. “That accountability is essential and, as a woman, [Harris] is well-positioned to share the stories of so many women from across the country.”

Book, the highest-ranking Democrat in Florida, said in a statement that Harris “uniquely understands what’s at stake” in Florida’s abortion ballot initiative.

“As a prosecutor, she’s spoken to me about bringing justice for victims and the crucial importance of ensuring survivors of rape and incest have autonomy over their own bodies,” said Book, pointing to a new Biden-Harris campaign ad of a young woman speaking about being impregnated by her step-father at age 12.

Book added: “This fight is about ensuring access to healthcare for women, girls, and sexual assault survivors because — as Kamala Harris knows — the government has no place in our exam rooms.”

In a press call Thursday, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said the abortion-rights ballot initiative has a “broad coalition” of Democrats, independents and Republicans backing it.

“We’re talking about healthcare,” said Fried. “We’re talking about freedom, the freedom to choose what is best for you and your family.”

State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from Orlando, said “it doesn’t matter who the messenger is” on abortion-rights.

“The issue resonates across the board and across the aisle,” Smith said during the call.