At a recent Republican Party dinner, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis didn’t shy away from calling out elected officials he perceived as being silent on proposed amendments on the state ballot this year.
The governor didn’t mention all of them by name, but criticized several Florida congressional members for not publicly opposing the amendments dealing with recreational marijuana and expanding abortion rights.
For elected officials who haven’t taken a position, DeSantis said their neutral approach was untenable.
You’ve got to stand up, even when it’s not easy,” DeSantis said.
There have been reports DeSantis is miffed at some Florida Republicans for trying to play both sides following the comments from former President Donald Trump, who recently had had to clarify his opposition to Amendment 4, the pro-abortion amendment, and his support of Amendment 3, the marijuana proposal.
“On one hand, some Republican leaders want to support Gov. DeSantis and on the other hand, they don’t want to publicly come out against Trump,” one GOP consultant told Florida Daily.
DeSantis said that if Republicans don’t oppose both amendments, Florida could look a lot like California in the future.
“Right now, you know, there’s some people that just, it’s like the political winds,” DeSantis said. “If the winds are against you, you run and hide. That is not what’s going to make this state great.”
“Will the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) spend money on opposing the Marijuana amendment? “I think they should and I think they will,” said political commentator Barney Bishop.
The amount that the RPOF will spend on those aforementioned ads is yet to be determined. The state chair of the RPOF said eventually they will soon be running ads against amendment 3.
However, former President Trump’s endorsement of Amendment 3 may force party leaders to spend more time focusing on opposing the abortion amendment than the marijuana amendment.
The RPOF is already running ads opposing Amendment 4.
