DeSantis, Abbott risk blowback amid appeals to conservative base
| Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis (Fla.) and Greg Abbott (Texas) are enacting policies in their states that are popular with the national conservative base but that risk backlash as the two governors contend with their own reelection bids next year and possible presidential runs in 2024.
Abbott made headlines on Monday when he signed an overhaul of the state’s election procedures, which places restrictions on voting in the state. And just last week he signed into law a sweeping bill that outlaws most abortions in Texas after six weeks of pregnancy. In Florida, meanwhile, DeSantis has been embroiled in a fight with school boards over mask mandates. DeSantis has maintained that localities should be banned from enacting mandates despite a rise in coronavirus cases. |
