Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls discuss controversial bills in Florida Legislature

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CNS) - Democrats are accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis of pushing a 15-week abortion ban, “Don’t Say Gay” and anti-woke legislation to rally his base. Capitol News Service reports Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls are trying to use the same bills to win favor before their August primary.

From abortion protestors to standing up for the LGBTQ community, to marching crime victims, more than 1,000 people came to the Capitol Tuesday. For Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist, it was a target-rich environment.

“So if you are a white male racist bigot, you’re doing just fine this session,” said Fried.

“They’re not representing Florida. You deserve to have candidates for governor that understand what you care about,” Crist said about the culture wars to a group of mostly women protesting the 15-week ban on abortions.

The target of both candidates’ wrath is the governor and his agenda, which they say is driven by an expected run for the White House.

“He doesn’t talk about Florida anymore,” Fried told Capitol News Service in an exclusive interview. “He talks about Washington, D.C. He talks about everything else except the issues that are actually impacting the state of Florida.”

Crist also spoke with Capitol News Service, saying “The people of Florida want women to have the right to choose. The people of Florida don’t want gays to be condemned in school, and they are doing that right here.”

And protests or not, the house moved forward discussing its anti-woke legislation.

Sponsor Brian Avila (R-Miami) told House members “No individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive. Whether consciously or unconsciously, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex.”

Also on the agenda, moving the “Don’t Say Gay” bill down the court.

While the House is pushing forward with this controversial legislation, so far it’s going virtually nowhere in the session, but there are two and a half weeks left in the session.

And no matter the final fate of these bills, they will remain fodder from now through the Aug. 23 primary, and likely through the Nov. 8 election.

Capitol News Service reached out to the governor’s office for comment on this story. Spokesperson Christina Pushaw told CNS claims Ron DeSantis is running for president is nothing more than a narrative Democrats have made up.

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