TAMPA, Fla. — President Joe Biden plans to speak about reproductive freedom during an event Tuesday in Tampa as abortion rights become an inflection point in the 2024 presidential campaign.
The White House announced last week that Biden would be making a stop to the Sunshine State. Since the event was made public, his campaign said he'd be speaking about abortion rights just before the state's six-week abortion ban goes into effect.
Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, clearing the way for the more restrictive law to take effect after it was signed and supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023. The six-week ban has some exceptions, including to save the woman's life.
An average of three recent polls conducted in Florida show Biden trailing by 9 points to former President Donald Trump, according to RealClearPolitics. One poll conducted recently by Florida Atlantic University showed Trump up by 8 points over Biden — outside of its 3.3% margin of error.
Florida Republicans have also gained a significant advantage over Democrats in recent years. As of March 31, there are 5.2 million registered Republican voters compared to 4.3 million Democratic voters — flipping to a majority in 2021, according to statewide data.
Still, Democrats are holding out hope in the Sunshine State after the state Supreme Court recently allowed a question to preserve abortion rights to make the November ballot.
“This puts Florida in play,” said Republican pollster Neil Newhouse told The Associated Press.