FORT MYERS, Fla. — Nikki Fried, Democratic gubernatorial candidate, made an appearance in Fort Myers on Thursday, in which she discussed the continued fight for abortion access in Florida and the nation at large.
Fried reacted to Kansas voters' recent rejection of an outright abortion ban, the first such vote since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe vs. Wade decision in June.
She said her team is going to fight to put abortion rights on the ballot in 2024, similar to how Kansas lawmakers did.
"This issue impacts women and our supporters all across the state of Florida," Fried said. "We're going to continue to elevate this message. We're going to stand up for choice."
She also discussed current governor Ron DeSantis' suspension Thursday of Hillsborough County state attorney Andrew Warren over comments made indicating he would not press charges against those who seek, facilitate or provide abortion care.
She and her Democratic opponent for the gubernatorial nomination, Charlie Crist, in separate announcements Thursday dubbed DeSantis a "wannabe dictator." Fried called the move to suspend Warren "outrageous and dangerous."
Fried also addressed the ongoing affordable housing issues plaguing Floridians and within Southwest Florida.
"I talk to people every day that have seen their premiums go through the roof," she said. "We're going to be in a lot of trouble if we get hit by a hurricane. We're not seeing a decrease in our premiums, we're not seeing a more competitive marketplace.
"We don't have leadership in Tallahassee and across our state that are going to take these things seriously."
