Eyes on 2024: Florida abortion ban divides GOP candidates

Abortion continues to be one of the dividing lines in the GOP presidential primary, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took aim at former President Donald Trump over his stance on their state’s six-week ban. 

“We were able to deliver the heartbeat bill, which was a big, big deal. And while I appreciate what the former president has done in a variety of realms, he opposes that bill. He said it was ‘harsh’ to protect an unborn child when there’s a detectable heartbeat,” DeSantis told the Christian Broadcasting Network.

“I think that’s humane to do,” DeSantis added. “I think that’s what pro-lifers have been wanting to see good, pro-life protections, whether it’s Florida or Iowa under Kim Reynolds. Very important that you’re able to get this stuff done.”

But Trump isn’t the only GOP contender from Florida who criticized the state’s ban. 

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who just launched his presidential run this week, told the Associated Press that he would back a federal ban on abortion after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions. But in terms of a six-week ban, Suarez said, “the country is not there yet”

Democrats, meanwhile, are leaning into the issue ahead of next year’s election. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver a speech in battleground North Carolina next weekend to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, per NBC News’ Peter Alexander, Kelly O’Donnell, Monica Alba and Rebecca Shabad.

In other campaign news…

DeSantis’ Nevada gamble: DeSantis is heading to Nevada this weekend — his first trip to the early primary state as a presidential candidate. And Trump’s team got testy when asked about DeSantis targeting a state where local Republicans have backed the former president, NBC News’ Natasha Korecki and Henry J. Gomez report. 

To pledge or not to pledge? At least two Republican presidential primary candidates — former Govs. Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie — have said they’ll sign a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee, a pledge required by the RNC to earn a spot on the debate stage. But both former governors have indicated that they may not uphold the pledge.

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For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Ballot battle: Biden is not likely to be on the primary ballot in Iowa and New Hampshire if those states defy the Democratic National Committee and hold their primaries before South Carolina, per Axios. 

Directing communications: Biden’s re-election campaign named Michael Tyler, a veteran of the DNC and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s campaign, as its communications director. 

Trump trial: A second defamation trial against Trump involving writer E. Jean Carroll, who says Trump raped her in the 1990s (which Trump has denied), has been set for Jan. 15. Trump was found liable for sexual assault in a previous trial, but Carroll’s attorneys amended her defamation suit after Trump made comments about Carroll during a CNN town hall. 

Do it, you won’t: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed back at California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s criticism of him in recent weeks by telling the Democrat to “stop pussyfooting around,” questioning whether he wants to “throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe [Biden].”

Primary positioning: Ohio’s GOP Senate primary “is turning into a real-time illustration of the different ways ambitious Republicans are navigating Donald Trump’s latest legal troubles,” writes NBC News’ Henry J. Gomez.

EMILY’s List weighs in: Roll Call reports that the EMILY’s List, which backs women candidates who support abortion rights, is backing Democratic organizer Joanna Weiss in her bid to replace Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who is running for Senate. 

Making a comeback: Two Tennessee Democratic state representatives who were expelled from the legislature after protesting on the floor against gun violence — Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson — are now a step closer to returning to the chamber. Both won their primary races for their previous seats on Thursday, per NBC News’ Adam Edelman.