South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s communications director ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggesting the Republican rising star’s abortion stance was too liberal.
‘Governor Noem was the only Governor in America on national television defending the Dobbs decision,’ aide Ian Fury told the National Review for a story published Thursday. ‘Where was Governor DeSantis? Hiding behind a 15-week ban. Does he believe that 14-week-old babies don’t have a right to live?’
In April, DeSantis – considered a top 2024 GOP presidential contender – signed a 15-week ban on abortion in the Sunshine State.
Florida’s Republican state lawmakers defeated amendments that would have allowed for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, human trafficking and mental health, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (left) communications director ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) suggesting the Republican rising star’s abortion stance was too liberal
Exceptions were kept in place for cases where the mother’s life is at risk, there are fetal abnormalities or ‘irreversible physical impairment.’
In December, after DeSantis cakewalked to reelection by about 20 points, the Florida Republican indicated he would be open to signing even more restrictive abortion laws, The Orlando Sentinel reported.
Ian Fury, communications director for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, knocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in an email to National Review over his abortion position
‘I’m willing to sign great life legislation. That’s what I’ve always said I would do,’ he said to a question about whether he’s support a so-called ‘heartbeat’ bill, which cuts off abortion at around six weeks – a time in which many women might not even know they’re pregnant.
In his note to National Review, Fury claimed that DeSantis ‘just terminated his pro-life Secretary for AHCA, Simone Marstiller, the most pro-life member of his cabinet.’
Marstiller, the now former Agency for Health Care Administration secretary, departed the administration in November, with Politico reporting that her exit had to do with a new lobbying ban, not bad blood with the Florida governor.
DeSantis’ office called the claim that Marstiller was let go under bad terms ‘absolutely false,’ according to FloridaPolitics.com.
‘Florida Right to Life is embarrassed by Gov. DeSantis’s record, so they invited Governor Noem to speak at their annual conference in October 2021,’ Fury also said.
Fury later took to Twitter to attack the reporter he sent the message to, the National Review’s Nate Hochman.
‘Nate is a shill for Gov. DeSantis. He attacks Gov. Noem using the once-proud masthead of National Review because he sees her as a threat,’ Fury said.
Noem, too, has been considered a Republican rising star.
At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, she was voted No. 2 by attedees, after DeSantis, when former President Donald Trump wasn’t in the mix, in the event’s annual presidential straw poll.
Of course, Trump has already announced a 2024 presidential bid.
Recent polling, however, has largely ignored Noem as a potential contender.
Instead the Real Clear Politics polling average includes Trump – who still has a 18.2 percent advantage – and DeSantis, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley, former Rep. Liz Cheney, Sen. Marco Rubio, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
Besides Trump and DeSantis, all the other candidates are polling in the single digits.
The Democratic National Committee was gleeful over the Republican infighting sending out a statement on Noem vs. DeSantis Thursday.
‘Republicans are kicking off a messy 2024 primary season as they race to out-MAGA each other on just about every issue,’ an email from the DNC said. ‘Let’s not forget: Kristi Noem is the same anti-choice extremist who went on national TV to say that she would force a 10-year-old rape victim to give birth.’
‘And Ron DeSantis’s anti-choice record in question is already extreme. Thanks to an abortion ban DeSantis signed, a child incest victim was forced to leave the state to get care,’ the message said.
Democrats have credited the abortion issue as why they had better-than-expected results in the 2022 midterms, as they kept control of the Senate and gave Republicans only a slim majority in the House.