Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed victory on Tuesday evening over the defeat of two amendments that would have, respectively, created a constitutional right to abortion and legalized recreational marijuana.
“With polls now closed in Florida — Amendment 3 has failed. Amendment 4 has failed,” DeSantis posted to X shortly after polls closed in Florida.
The two amendments are projected to fail, as they did not reach approval from 60% of Florida voters after polls closed at 7 p.m. in the state.
Amendment 3 would have legalized recreational marijuana, which has increasingly been legalized in states across the nation. While on the issue of abortion, DeSantis signed The Heartbeat Protection Act into law last year, which banned most abortions after six weeks of gestation.
This year, Florida residents voted on Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative, which works to overturn the ban.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL) takes the stage on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Voting data on the amendments comes after Fox News Decision Desk projected earlier Tuesday that former President Donald Trump will win Florida in the general election.
Conservative and pro-life social media users celebrated DeSantis’ victory lap over the amendments’ reported failures, calling the expected failure of Amendment 4 a “huge win for life.”
“The demise of pro-abortion Amendment 4 is a momentous victory for life in Florida and for our entire country,” said SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser in comment provided to Fox Digital Tuesday. “Thanks to Gov. Ron DeSantis, when we wake up tomorrow, babies with beating hearts will still be protected in the free state of Florida.
“The law that safeguards more than 50,000 lives annually will remain. Florida is a beacon to the places in this country which still allow abortion after the point a baby can feel pain and the model for how the pro-life movement will win future ballot measure fights. In a world where the abortion lobby has a hold of our major institutions, every Republican should take note of the leadership and courage that Ron DeSantis exhibited to expose Big Abortion’s agenda and defeat life-ending amendments,” she added.
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“March for Life applauds the people of Florida for seeing through an onslaught of well-funded lies and rejecting the radical, destructive Amendment 4. When voters know the truth about dangerous and far-reaching abortion amendments appearing on their ballots, they reject them wholeheartedly. We are grateful to Governor DeSantis for remaining courageously steadfast in his support for the most vulnerable, including using his resources and platform to effectively combat the onslaught of disinformation from Amendment 4 backers whose massive spending advantage was not enough to get this deceptive and dangerous proposal across the finish line,” Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said in a statement on Amendement 4 on Tuesday evening.
Amendment 4 became a hot topic earlier in the campaign cycle, as reporters grilled Trump about how he would vote on the matter, as he is a Florida resident.
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Trump did spark the condemnation of some pro-life conservatives for saying in August that Florida’s six-week abortion ban “is too short.” He later said that he would vote against the Florida amendment, and doubled down that abortion laws and issues should be left up to the states to decide.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by former U.S. first lady Melania Trump, speaks to reporters as he votes at Mandel Recreation Center on Election Day in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 5, 2024. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
“You need more time than six weeks. I’ve disagreed with that right from the early primaries. When I heard about it, I disagreed with it. At the same time, the Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation,” said Trump in August.
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“That way you can do an abortion in the ninth month. And, you know, some of the states, like Minnesota and other states have it where you can actually execute the baby after birth and all of that stuff is unacceptable. So I’ll be voting no for that reason,” he added.