News : POLITICO Florida Playbook: Florida Republicans split on same-sex marriage vote

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

POLITICO Florida Playbook: Florida Republicans split on same-sex marriage vote

Jul 20, 2022

Hello and welcome to Wednesday.

A vote to note — Here's something that doesn't happen every day in Congress. Florida's 16 Republicans were divided on whether to vote in favor of a bill that would write same-sex marriage into federal law. All 11 Democrats voted for the legislation.

Reaction — The measure — which would also protect interracial marriage — was in part a response to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' recent suggestion that the high court reconsider its 2015 decision that required states to recognize same-sex marriages. While House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was a no, nearly 50 Republicans voted yes.

Florida breakdown — That includes six Republicans from the Sunshine State, such as conservative Reps. Kat Cammack, Brian Mast and Michael Waltz, along with the three GOP members from South Florida. That includes Rep. Maria Elvia Salazar, who now holds the one seat here Democrats really think they can flip in November.

Explaining her vote — Democrats such as Rep. Kathy Castor lauded the vote, even though it looks as if the bill has an uphill battle in the Senate: "All of our neighbors deserve the right to marry who they love and live without fear that their lives will be upended through discrimination and a rollback of rights," Castor said in a statement.

Thumbs down — Rep. Matt Gaetz took to Twitter to explain his no vote , saying Democrats were in a "fit of hysteria triggered by one sentence in a concurring opinion by Justice Thomas." He added, "this holding is not in jeopardy. Gay marriage doesn't offend me nearly as much as offending federalism does through this legislation."

Also voting in the affirmative — Among the Democrats voting yes for the legislation was Rep. Charlie Crist. When Crist was a Republican and governor of Florida, he called himself a "live and let live guy." But in 2008 he voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that barred same-sex marriage before he later changed his position on the subject.

Response — In a statement, Crist said "after the disastrous decision by the conservative Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade , it is clear that Republican state legislatures and governors will not stop there — they will try to take away more and more rights from Americans and Floridians, including from LGBTQ couples. This is wrong and totally out of step with the American people and our values."

— WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to be in Utah, where he is holding two fundraisers.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com

HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ROE BEING OVERTURNED? JOIN WOMEN RULE ON 7/21: Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade , abortion policy is in the hands of the states and, ultimately, voters. Join POLITICO national political correspondent Elena Schneider for a Women Rule "ask me anything" conversation featuring a panel of reporters from our politics and health care teams who will answer your questions about how the court's decision could play out in different states, its impact on the midterms and what it means for reproductive rights in the U.S. going forward. SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS AND REGISTER HERE .

DATELINE D.C.

A MESSAGE — " House passes protection for same-sex, interracial marriages with bipartisan support ," by Washington Post's Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Paul Kane: "A bill that would federally protect same-sex marriages sailed through the House on Tuesday with bipartisan support, a historic moment that marks a capstone to the nation's quarter-century evolution on LGBTQ rights and a response to fears that an emboldened Supreme Court was poised to take away hard-won civil rights. Forty-seven Republicans joined all Democrats in support of the Respect for Marriage Act that also would protect interracial marriage and repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Emmer (Minn.) were among those who voted in support, a signal that at least a portion of the party believes marriage equality is settled law."

CAMPAIGN MODE

TRENDLINES — Open primaries increase in Florida after 2020 candidate recruiting scandal , by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: A candidate recruitment scandal from two years ago is, in part, helping create an uptick in Florida of open primaries, a scenario where voters of any political party affiliation can impact primary races in an increasing number of contests. Every election cycle has a handful of open primaries, but Florida has more than a dozen this election cycle, the most it has seen in at least a decade, according to a POLITICO analysis.

How we got here — It has been a common strategy among campaigns and political parties to recruit no-party affiliated candidates that don't actually campaign, but are designed only to close the primary. It's an underhanded tactic that's been used for decades. But after a sham 2020 candidate was busted for accepting illegal campaign contributions, shady candidates who allowed themselves to be recruited are shying away from the practice out of fear of prosecution.

FRIED'S SUPPORT FOR REPARATIONS REVIEW — During an hour-long discussion with rap pioneer Luther Luke Campbell on Tuesday evening, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said she would support legislation modeled after a California law that created a task force to look at reparations for descendants of enslaved people. When asked if she would sign such a bill Fried said "of course it would be. I think that these are hard conversations for sure to have. But we have to have them." Florida, which had cotton plantations in north Florida, was a slave state when it officially became a state in 1845.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried speaks.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried speaks about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act recently passed by Congress, and the impact it will have on Florida during a news conference, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) | Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

FRIED APOLOGIZES FOR AD — Fried on Tuesday issued a public apology over a recent digital ad designed to highlight Crist's support for placing people in prison in chains. When he first got elected as a legislator in the '90s, Crist advocated returning to practice of working inmates in public while wearing chains. He was even called "Chain Gang Charlie" at the time. In the ad, a picture of Crist holding chains was on one side and a picture of Fried with Women's March Florida President Cortes Maria Lewis James was on the other with the words "our justice champion" underneath. The organization, in a press release, said James, who is Black, had not endorsed Fried and that the picture was from a group photo taken at a rally.

The organization put out a statement on Tuesday criticizing the ad and said the Fried campaign had used the image to "disingenuously secure Black votes" and asked for a "an adequate and meaningful retraction." In a tweet Fried said she had called the Women's March Florida president after "learning about this racially insensitive ad. I told her I am deeply sorry it happened, and I am. The ad was removed. It was 100% wrong. I'm so sorry for the pain it caused her and your important organization."

DOUBTS — " DeSantis faithful question his Pasco School Board endorsement ," by Tampa Bay Times' Jeffrey S. Solochek: "In some ways, these residents consider [Gov. Ron] DeSantis' endorsement a misstep into local politics he doesn't fully understand. [Cathy] Julian noted the brewing controversy over [Al] Hernandez's residency, and whether he legally qualified for the ballot, as a red flag that should have steered the governor away. 'It makes me know that DeSantis made a decision based on inaccurate information,' Julian said. [Steve] Meisman, too, had concerns about the endorsement. He argued it violates the tradition of not endorsing candidates in primary elections. The nonpartisan race features two outspoken Republicans, as well as a third hopeful, teacher James Washington, who opposes the DeSantis agenda."

CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP — Protect our Future, a new Democratic super PAC that is backing "champions for pandemic prevention," announced Tuesday that it's endorsing Jared Moskowitz in Florida's 23rd Congressional District. Moskowitz is Florida's former emergency management director who helped Gov. Ron DeSantis lead the state's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Michael Sadowsky, president of Protect our Future, called him "instrumental in accelerating the distribution" of Covid-19 vaccines and said he would work to "prevent the next pandemic."

… Nikki Fried is calling on supporters and others to ask television stations in Tallahassee and Tampa to carry the scheduled debate between Fried and Charlie Crist. The debate will tape on Thursday and then air later in the day on several stations around the state.

… Vote Mama, a PAC focused on electing Democratic moms, announced Tuesday that it endorsing Aramis Ayala for attorney general. Ayala is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge GOP Attorney General Ashley Moody.

— " Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried faces high stakes as Thursday's primary debate for governor looms ," by WPTV's Forrest Saunders

— " DeSantis draws campaign donors from across the nation ," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders

— " Crist goes after DeSantis' public school system; launches "Freedom to Learn" policy platform ," by Florida Phoenix's Danielle J. Brown

— " Change in state law means about 33,000 Duval County voters must update records to request mail ballots ," by Florida Times-Union's David Bauerlein

— " Tom Lee-tied group directs $1M to super PAC supporting Laurel Lee ," by Florida Politics' Jacob Ogles

— " Candidate for judge hit with false claims he boasted about helping pedophiles beat sex crime charges ," by Florida Center for Government Accountability News' Susan Clark Armstrong

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... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

NOT ME — " Jared Moskowitz, who helped oversee pandemic response, says he wasn't involved in Florida's most controversial vaccine sites ," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Anthony Man : "Jared Moskowitz, who was Gov. Ron DeSantis' director of emergency management during the first 14 months of the coronavirus pandemic, said Tuesday he refused to have his agency operate several of the state's most controversial COVID vaccination sites in early 2021. The vaccination sites in question were loudly criticized at the time by Democrats as favoring well-off Republican communities with political connections — and being impossible or difficult to access by people who weren't connected or didn't have good transportation. DeSantis emphatically rejected the criticism."

— " Georgia backs Florida in election law case ," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

MISSING — " Secret Service gives thousands of documents to January 6 committee, but hasn't yet recovered potentially missing texts ," by CNN's Ryan Nobles, Zachary Cohen, Annie Grayer and Whitney Wild: "However, Tuesday's document production didn't include any of the potentially missing texts from January 5 and 6, 2021, a Secret Service official told CNN. That's because the agency still has not been able to recover any records that were lost during a phone migration around that time, the official said….'Nobody along the way stopped and thought, well, maybe we shouldn't do the migration of data and of the devices until we are able to fulfill these four requests from Congress,' said Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, a committee member, in an interview on MSNBC. 'The process as explained to us was simply to leave it to the agent to determine whether or not there was anything on their phones worth saving that was necessary to save for federal records.'"

DRIP, DRIP — ' It's the accumulation': The Jan. 6 hearings are wounding Trump after all , POLITICO's David Siders: What happened instead, a slow drip of negative coverage, may be just as damaging to the former president. Six weeks into the committee's public hearing schedule, an emerging consensus is forming in Republican Party circles — including in Trump's orbit — that a significant portion of the rank-and-file may be tiring of the non-stop series of revelations about Trump. The fatigue is evident in public polling and in focus groups that suggest growing Republican openness to an alternative presidential nominee in 2024. The cumulative effect of the hearings, according to interviews with more than 20 Republican strategists, party officials and pollsters in recent days, has been to at least marginally weaken his support.

THE GUNSHINE STATE

DAY 2 — " Jurors see gruesome video of Florida school shooting ," by The Associated Press' Terry Spencer: "Jurors in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz viewed graphic video Tuesday of him murdering 17 people as he stalked through a three-story classroom building at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School four years ago. The video, compiled from 13 security cameras inside the building, was not shown to the gallery, where parents of many of the victims sat. Shown later to reporters, it depicts Cruz crouching and stalking, firing at anything that moves, down the halls and into classrooms. He shoots many of his victims at point-blank range, going back to some as they lay wounded on the floor to kill them with a second volley of shots."

— "' It was starting to get real.' Parkland gunshot victims and their teachers testify about their Valentine's Day that ended in horror ," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Rafael Olmeda and Scott Travis

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

GETTING THE WORD OUT — Philanthropist Arnie Bellini helps launch $5M "Live Wildly" campaign , by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: Environmental philanthropist Arnie Bellini of Tampa is donating $5 million towards a media campaign to support land conservation after quietly helping win $300 million in state funding in 2021. The Live Wildly Foundation, incorporated with the state in April by Bellini, announced it is launching the "Live Wildly" campaign in support of the Florida Wildlife Corridor initiative. The corridor covers 18 million acres across the Florida, including at least 10 million acres already under state and federal ownership. Bellini said in an announcement Tuesday that few state residents are aware of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and the need to protect the remaining acreage.

'UNPRECEDENTED EFFORT' — " Miami plans to donate guns to Ukraine. They are not going to the military ," by Miami Herald's Anna Wilder and Joey Flechas: "The city of Miami is sending more than 150 used guns to Ukrainian police — not to soldiers fighting on the front lines of the Russian invasion. In June, city officials announced the intention to put firearms in the hands of Ukrainians defending their country, though it was not clear who would receive the weapons. Since then, the city has rushed to throw together a plan that became clearer Tuesday when the city announced that the police department for one of Kyiv's suburbs, Irpin, would receive 167 surplus guns. "We've been building a plane as we fly it," said Commissioner Ken Russell, who has sponsored the idea. He's running for Florida's 27th Congressional District as a Democrat."

— " Free condoms for Plant City farmworkers: A nonprofit responds to Roe overturn ," by Tampa Bay Times' Juan Carlos Chavez

— " Escambia County asks Gov. Ron DeSantis to determine if Doug Underhill vacated his office ," by Pensacola News-Journal's Jim Little

— " Publix cake decorator creates online petition for raises. Nearly 7,100 people have signed on ," by The Ledger's Paul Nutcher

— " Manfred prefers Tampa to St. Pete for Rays but many factors ," by The Associated Press' Ronald Blum

— " What is the Everglades Foundation hiding? The Capitolist files motion to unseal secret documents ," by The Capitolist's Brian Burgess

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— " In Pasco County, epicenter of a giant land snail invasion, life slithers on ," by Tampa Bay Times' Milla Surjadi: " When a Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worker knocked on Jay Pasqua's door three weeks ago talking about an infestation of giant snails, it took everything in him not to laugh. 'We're not on Mars,' he said. And besides, he hadn't noticed any snails. Then the state worker took Pasqua to the yard next to his lawn mower repair shop on Massachusetts Avenue. There, beneath a large tree, she pointed out a giant African land snail. 'There's a big one right there,' she said."

BIRTHDAYS: State Sen. Darryl Rouson … 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge Angela C. Dempsey … William Large, president of Florida Justice Reform Institute