| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | |  Jocelyn Benson, Michigan secretary of state. | J. Scott Applewhite, File/AP Photo | Good morning and welcome to Monday. Democrats want Florida to enshrine abortion rights into the state Constitution, just like Michigan did two years ago. And just like what happened in Michigan, they’re hoping the issue will help them make inroads in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Michigan’s chief election official, Jocelyn Benson, thinks her state could be a model. Ten to 14 years ago, “Michigan was where Florida is today,” she said on Saturday in Miami. She was in town to deliver the keynote speech for a gala for Ruth’s List, which fundraises and trains state and local women candidates in Florida who support abortion rights. “Don't sleep on Florida, because Michigan has shown how in just a few years — when women pull up their sleeves and support each other and don't take no for an answer — you can actually achieve great things that no one saw coming,” Benson — Michigan’s secretary of state — said in a meeting with journalists ahead of her speech. “That really is the Michigan story and I think, in the near future, it will be the Florida story as well.” The two states’ abortion referendums have notable differences. Michigan’s encompassed not just abortion but also birth control, childbirth and other areas of reproductive health. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, was staunchly behind the referendum — whereas Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida have vowed to actively oppose it. And while Michigan’s referendum did pass, it got 56.7 percent of the vote. Florida will need 60 percent. But Florida also has something Michigan didn’t: A six-week abortion ban now in effect, allowing voters to assess current laws and decide whether they want to reverse them. With those differences in mind, Benson said there are some lessons Florida Democrats can take from Michigan. On messaging the issue: Benson said Democratic women leaders in Michigan, including Whitmer, worked to make the case that abortion rights would be good for business and growing the economy. They said people would want to stay in the state if they “knew they could have access to reproductive freedom and health care — and they would leave if they thought they couldn’t.” “The challenge and opportunity is to link reproductive freedom to economic freedom and political freedom,” she said. On whether Democrats should be concerned about Republican counter-messaging: Benson argued that structural policies helping more people get engaged in the political process were more important, citing the independent redistricting commission in Michigan as an example. (An independent commission drew Michigan’s maps for the first time for 2022, and Democrats won both chambers after both parties had a clear shot at winning the Legislature.) “I don't think you necessarily need a statewide charismatic leader — though you have one with [Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried] — to ensure ballot initiative success,” she said. “What you do need is voters on the ground organizing and building an infrastructure to ensure citizens are able to express themselves and their support for this initiative.” On getting to 60 percent: “Those who oppose these types of reproductive rights referendums have figured out that by requiring a supermajority, that's how you defeat it,” she said. “What voters have to take from that is that they have to do even more work than we've done in Michigan.” On how to urge voters to go beyond the abortion referendum: If the election were held in Florida today, polling shows voters are poised to support Donald Trump at the top of the ticket as well as the referendum. Benson warned that electing people to national office who want to ban abortion “stymies and eliminates” what voters decide through ballot measures. “You have to be consistent in ensuring you're supporting candidates at the local, state and federal level, as well as ballot initiatives that support reproductive freedoms,” she said. “Otherwise, you're not going to actually have them.” Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
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Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | ON THE BALLOT — “Amendment 5 would lower taxes on homeowners, but others could pay more,” by the Florida Phoenix’s Michael Moline. “Florida voters will get to decide in the November election whether to shield more of the value of their homes from property taxes under a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution, but the measure might mean higher taxes for renters, landlords, and other commercial property owners.” PUBLIC RECORDS DOCS OBTAINED — “More ethics turmoil as Florida AG’s chief ethics prosecutor quits amid probe she misused job to query state database,” by the Florida Bulldog’s Dan Christensen. “The head of the Florida Attorney General’s Ethics Bureau, which prosecutes cases before the ethics commission, quit abruptly last month after being confronted with evidence she misused her position to improperly query Florida’s Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle database. Elizabeth ‘Buff’ Miller, now a former chief assistant attorney general, was looking to obtain information about a defendant in a 2011 civil lawsuit in which Miller was the plaintiff’s attorney, according to a report of an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office of Inspector General. The 11-page report, released in response to Florida Bulldog’s public records request, cites a half-dozen violations of various ‘laws, rules, regulations or policies’ by Miller for what it says was a ‘non-business-related query.’”
|  Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz. | Phil Sears/AP Photo | REVIVER ACADEMY — “Florida threatens to revoke Muslim school’s vouchers over imam’s remarks,” reports Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald. “Florida education officials have told a private Muslim school in Northeast Miami-Dade to turn over a roster of all its owners, operators and employees or risk losing its taxpayer-funded vouchers after a prayer leader at the mosque where the school is located made inflammatory comments about Jewish people.” STILL LOWER THAN NATIONAL RATE — “Florida unemployment rate in April inches up to highest level in over 2 years, now at 3.3 percent,” reports Jim Turner of News Service of Florida. “The state Department of Commerce on Friday released a report that estimated a 3.3 percent jobless rate, representing 361,000 Floridians qualified as unemployed in mid-April. The number of unemployed people was up by 8,000 from March. Meanwhile, the labor force totaled 11.095 million in April, down 2,000 people from a month earlier. OOF — “Ocean heat bleaches coral reefs in Florida, elsewhere,” reports The Associated Press. “Ocean temperatures that have gone ‘crazy haywire’ hot, especially in the Atlantic, are close to making the current global coral bleaching event the worst in history. It’s so bad that scientists are hoping for a few hurricanes to cool things off.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | GRAD BACKLASH — “New College of Florida graduation: Boos for [conservative billionaire] Joe Ricketts, cheers for student president,” by Steven Walker of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “In a technical difficulty-filled speech cut off early by New College President Richard Corcoran, Ricketts talked about how he earned his wealth and warned the graduates about the challenges of artificial intelligence. As the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade spoke, the student section would erupt in boos, chant ‘free Palestine’ and expletives. Students also wore stoles bearing the flag of Palestine, following a national trend of higher education protests against the war in Gaza.” MASS TRAGEDY — “Families of Mexican farmworker bus crash victims mourn the loss of their loved ones in Florida,” reports The Associated Press’ Stephany Matat and Jose Maria Alvarez. “The crash injured dozens of farmworkers, who were hired by a Mexican-American farmer to work on the watermelon farm under temporary or seasonal visas. About 16 farmworkers were taken to Adventhealth Ocala. Lauren Rozyla, a spokesperson for the facility, said 14 were discharged on Tuesday, and the remaining two were transferred to other facilities.” PUSH FOR CHANGE — “Farmworkers advocates call for support after a deadly traffic accident,” by Central Florida Public Media’s Marian Summerall. “The Farmworker Association of Florida’s Ernesto Ruiz, said families of the injured workers may be dependent on their wages, and because of this crash there could be wider impacts to their families.” IN MEMORIAM — “Hundreds pack funeral for Roger Fortson, the Black airman killed in his home by a Florida deputy,” by The Associated Press’ Jeff Martin and Curt Anderson. “People lined up well before the start of the service at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest to file past the open coffin and say their goodbyes to Fortson, who was shot six times by a deputy responding to a May 3 call about a possible domestic violence situation at Fortson’s apartment complex in the Florida Panhandle. He was 23.” — “Churches, nonprofits organizing relief drives across Tallahassee for storm victims,” by the Tallahassee Democrat’s Kyla A Sanford. SUSPENSE CONTINUES — “Gregory Gerami stands behind controversial stock donation, says FAMU has gone radio silent,” by TaMaryn Waters of the Tallahassee Democrat. “On May 4, when he addressed the audience of graduates, their families, friends and alumni, he proclaimed to applause: ‘The money is in the bank.’ But it wasn't. Instead he transferred 14 million shares of stock of indeterminate value that could be worth $300 million or zero dollars, according to one FAMU Foundation board member.” — “Here’s a look at FAMU’s non-disclosure agreement, signed before ‘ceased’ $237 million gift,” reports Tarah Jean of the Tallahassee Democrat.
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | POLLING RESULTS — “Abortion access finds wide support, but inflation and immigration concerns boost Trump in Arizona and Florida,” by CBS News’ Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Kabir Khanna. “When Arizona and Florida attracted the national spotlight over their abortion battles, this question arose: Would the issue upend the presidential contests in those states — or offset the drag on President Biden that inflation and the border have had on him nationally? And the answer, right now, is no. Biden trails in Arizona by 5 points despite winning it last time, and Trump is comfortably up by 9 points in Florida, after winning it twice in the last two cycles. Because despite broad support for abortion rights in both states, that effect doesn't all accrue to Mr. Biden — or hurt Trump — as much as people's views on finances and immigration shape the contests.” VEEPSTAKES — “Marco Rubio clashes with Kristen Welker over accepting the 2024 election results,” by The Hill’s Miranda Nazzaro. “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Sunday refused to commit to accepting the 2024 election results, instead pinning the blame on Democrats for creating doubts about election credibility. When asked on NBC News’s Meet the Press whether he would accept this year’s election outcome ‘no matter what,’ Rubio responded, ‘No matter what happens? No, if it’s an unfair election, I think it’s going to be contested by each side.’ Meet the Press anchor Kristen Welker then repeated the ‘no matter who wins’ part of the question, to which Rubio said, ‘I think you’re asking the wrong person. The Democrats are the ones that have opposed every Republican victory since 2000, every single one. Hillary Clinton.” — “At Tampa’s Tiger Bay, warring state attorney candidates take their shots,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Sue Carlton.
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Former US President Donald Trump and his son Barron Trump attend the funeral of former first lady Melania Trump's mother Amalija Knavs, at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Church, in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 18, 2024. | Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images | — “The graduate! Barron Trump accepts diploma at heavily guarded ceremony in Palm Beach,” by the Miami Herald’s Madeleine Marr. FUTURE AMBITIONS? — “Mike Waltz not ‘measuring curtains’ for job in Donald Trump White House,” reports Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski. “U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, who represents Florida’s 6th Congressional District, told Fox News that he wasn’t making immediate plans to serve in a Trump administration, even after the former President said that he calls the Congressman when he wants to ‘know about the military,’ which has stoked speculation that he might be Defense Secretary or even Vice President.” IT HAPPENED HERE — “Rudy Giuliani’s birthday bash ends in chaos as guests scream and cry when he’s served papers for AZ ‘fake electors case’” reports the New York Post’s Lydia Moynihan, Eileen Reslen and Ian Mohr. “The former New York City mayor was tripping the light fantastic with pals in Palm Springs Friday night when he was intercepted outside the party at the home of top GOP consultant Caroline Wren by two officials from Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office, sources told The Post.”
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | WEDDING — Virginia Boney, senior manager for public policy at Amazon, recently married Andrew Moore, chief of staff for former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, on Pine Island, Fla., just south of Ponte Vedra Beach, Virginia’s hometown, in a ceremony officiated by Adam Hammer. The couple first met at the International Strategy Forum in 2021, where Virginia was a fellow and Andrew was working the event. Pic ... Another pic BIRTHDAY: State Rep. Anna Eskamani … State Sen. Jason Pizzo … Ida Eskamani, senior director of legislative affairs for State Innovation Exchange. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
