Florida Democrats hope abortion helps bring them back in what was once a swing state

SEMINOLE, Fla. — It was a muggy Tuesday night when Sandra Gerrish sat in a college library learning about phone banking and new voter registration laws.

This was only her second time attending a meeting of her local Democratic club. But the 53-year-old teacher from here in Pinellas County was spurred to get involved after lawmakers rolled back abortion access in the state.

“The attack on women's rights is really frightening,” Gerrish said. “It should be between a woman and her doctor making that decision.”

Democrats are hoping the issue spurs other voters to action too. A six-week abortion ban went into effect in Florida in May, and in November, a constitutional amendment will be on the ballot to enshrine the right to an abortion before fetal viability.

That’s one reason why Democrats see opportunity in Florida this year, despite the state going twice for former President Donald Trump and seeing large Republican victories in the 2022 midterms.

“When abortion rights are on the ballot ... they are a mobilizing factor,” said Kevin Munoz, senior national spokesperson for President Biden’s reelection campaign.

Munoz, a Jacksonville native, said Florida is “a winnable state for Democrats and for Joe Biden.”

But if they hope to compete, they’ll need to reverse a rightward shift more than a decade in the making. The swing county of Pinellas, which Biden won by just 0.22 percentage points in 2020, is a key part of their focus.

Abortion initiatives have driven turnout. But they’re untested in a presidential year

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ballot measures supporting abortion rights have driven voters to the polls and succeeded, even in red-leaning states. But none of those measures were on the ballot