Is Florida in Play for Kamala Harris?

Kamala Harris has the chance to pull off a "surprise victory" in Florida during November's presidential election as a reaction to Governor Ron DeSantis's socially conservative agenda, and in particular, his six-week abortion ban, according to a prominent political scientist.

Florida, which Barack Obama won in 2008 and 2012, had been widely regarded as a key swing state but has become more reliably Republican over the past few years under the leadership of DeSantis. Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the state by 1.2 percent in 2016, and the GOP firebrand held it in 2020 with an increased 3.4 percent margin despite losing nationwide.

Florida's Cassidy Reller, an expert on U.S. elections, argued DeSantis's convincing reelection during the 2022 midterm elections, with nearly 60 percent of the vote, was a show of support for his coronavirus policies rather than social conservatism.

"I've always seen the Republican win in 2022 as an economic response to a lack of COVID shutdowns, not a call to action to enact the social policies DeSantis enacted," Reller said.

"I think many Floridians do not like the negative attention all these controversial policies have brought to the state, and there is a chance voters react negatively to it in 2024, giving Democrats a surprise victory and potentially a chance to pick up a senate seat."

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar insisted Florida was "in play" for Harris in November, in part because the election coincides with the state's abortion vote.