On the first night of the Republican National Convention, attendees passed a party platform that doesn’t call for a national abortion ban. Notably, this is the first platform in four decades that does not.
However, many Florida Republicans said the change in messaging doesn’t signal a shift away from the subject.
Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida Evan Power said Republicans are still the party of life. Alachua County’s congresswoman, Kat Cammack, and vice mayor of Lake Clarke Shores, Jon Maples, agreed.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re going away from our values as Republicans,” Maples said.
Alternate delegate Brandon Ludwig said the new platform emphasizes the states’ ability to decide — something he said is especially important given how large the Republican party is.
“Not everybody is going to agree on every issue,” he said.
Asked if the new platform signals a shift in Republican values, Florida Senator Marco Rubio said no but instead spoke about the importance of the Supreme Court’s decision in overturning Roe v. Wade.
Currently, the majority of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to recent data from the Pew Research Center. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 57% of adults believe abortion should be legal. Likewise, Americans are twice as likely to say medication abortion should be legal.
The Republican party nominee, Donald Trump, has distanced himself from comprehensive abortion bans. Recently, he said the notable conservative presidential policy roadmap, Project 2025, goes too far by planning to outlaw abortion pills.
Trump has said abortion should be left to the states. Joe Gruters, former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said the change in Republican messaging directly mirrors Trump’s own beliefs.
“The party is Donald Trump’s party,” he said. “The platform is Donald Trump’s platform.”
The change in national platform comes at an interesting time for Florida.
After the 2022 repeal of Roe v. Wade, the power to legislate abortions returned to individual states. In November, Floridians will vote on Amendment 4, which would amend the state constitution to include protections for abortion.
Republicans generally oppose Amendment 4. In a Wednesday morning speech, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed concern about it, encouraging Florida voters to be united in their opposition to the amendment.