Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis reigned victorious on Tuesday night as two ballot measures he strongly opposed—one proposing a constitutional abortion right and the other aiming to legalize recreational marijuana—were defeated by voters.
“With polls now closed in Florida—Amendment 3 has failed. Amendment 4 has failed,” DeSantis tweeted after voting ended in the state.
With polls now closed in Florida —
Amendment 3 has failed.
Amendment 4 has failed.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 6, 2024
These measures were anticipated to fail on Tuesday night as neither garnered the required 60% voter approval when the polls closed at 7 p.m. in Florida.
Amendment 3 sought to legalize recreational marijuana, a move that has gained momentum in various states nationwide, but only managed to secure 55.9% approval with 99% of the state reporting results in on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Amendment 4, aimed at overturning The Heartbeat Protection Act—a law DeSantis signed last year banning most abortions after six weeks—also fell short, achieving just 57.1% support.
Additionally, Florida’s Republican Senator Rick Scott triumphed over Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell by a margin of 12.9%. In 2016, Scott narrowly beat Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson to become a senator, after years as the state’s governor.
Apart from seeking re-election, Scott is also competing to lead the Senate following Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement that he would no seek another term in leadership. He faces competition from GOP peers like Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
During his victory rally on Tuesday night, Scott remarked, “Our work is not done. Next week, we have another election—Senate Republican leader.”
“We need the Republican Party to start solving the problems of this country, and we have a significant number of problems,” he added. “Florida is the center of the Republican Party of this country. Washington could learn a hell of a lot from what we’ve done here in this great state.”
