In Florida, Crist must seize abortion issue for Democrats, without sidestepping past views Editorial

[In It to Win It]

For Charlie Crist to have any chance at prying Florida from the iron grip of Ron DeSantis in the November gubernatorial election, he’ll have to hammer on the issue of abortion.

Certainly there are other critically important topics for the state’s leading Democrat to talk with voters about, too — affordability, for one, something Republicans have had no real impact on, despite desultory efforts in areas like homeowners’ insurance. Voters would likely leap at anyone from either side who had a solution that gives them concrete and substantial relief on the cost of living right now.

But abortion isn’t just about what Floridians want. It’s about what Floridians are losing. A woman’s right to choose, the right to personal autonomy — those are rights Republicans have taken away from women at a breathtaking clip in the past few months. And that’s likely to be highly motivating when it comes to voter turnout — often the defining factor in an election — and especially for women, many of whom have rightly felt disenfranchised by the current, anti-abortion administration.

Republicans are out of step with the majority of people in the state on abortion. Crist, as the new standard-bearer for Democrats, has to lead the charge to remind voters of that, without sidestepping or parsing words on his previous position.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-crist-must-seize-abortion-181238868.html

[BigmanPigman]

1. He picked a female teacher to run with him

so that will be a big plus for him. She can help with issues like abortion and education and guns.

[carpetbagger]

2. More chattering-class tripe about how a nuanced rationalism will win elections.

Crist needs to come out swinging and take the fight to the other side, to the core policies of the GOP. Little-me-Trump needs to explain why he's still down with the shitshow rather than Crist explaining what made him get off the bus.

If nuanced campaigns won elections, Crist would have won in 2014 and would now probably be starting a run for president, possibly as Clinton's VP.

Stop playing a high school simulation of Kumbaya-based governance and realize that most 21st Century elections in the US are won by making the other side answer for themselves.

I've lived in Florida 3 times and Texas 3 times. Texas Dems have fight in them. Florida Dems will win elections with a fraction of the moxie (cf. Fried in 2018). My last congressional nominee (former Republican Wendy Davis) had no such problems with nuances on abortion when she was the gubernatorial nominee.