• State Commissioner of Agriculture and former gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried this week launched a pro-choice political action committee
• The committee aims to put a constitutional amendment codifying abortion rights in Florida 
• The ‘Won’t Back Down Political Committee’ states that it will support pro-choice candidates and engage in speaking and media appearances
• To get a constitutional amendment placed on the 2024 ballot, a minimum of 891,589 petition signatures is required 

A month after her defeat in the Democrat gubernatorial primary, Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried launched a political action committee (PAC) aimed at putting a constitutional amendment to codify abortion rights on 2024 ballots.

The new PAC, entitled ‘Won’t Back Down Political Committee,’ is a continuation of Fried’s efforts to prioritize abortion rights during her gubernatorial campaign. Fried told members of the media that her campaign largely consolidated around women’s rights after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade this summer.

“For the past four years while I have done everything in my power to stop Ron DeSantis, Trump-obsessed Republicans have done everything in their power to enable him,” said Fried. “I want to be really specific – women in Florida are losing our freedom. But mark my words, we will not be silenced.”

In her announcement of the PAC, Fried stated that the initiative aims to transform Florida into a pro-choice state and that work to achieve this will begin immediately and continue into future election cycles.

In order to successfully petition for a vote on a constitutional amendment, proponents must collect signatures equal to 8 percent of the total number of votes cast in the last presidential election.

For the 2024 ballot, 891,589 signatures would be the minimum threshold.

To gain support, Fried states that the group “aggressively” support pro-choice woman candidates, as well as make various appearances across the state.

“We don’t have a one-election cycle problem, we have a future of Florida problem,” remarked Fried. “So we are going to do what I did to win in 2018. We’re going to go to red areas and talk to Republican and Independent women … we’re going to help get a constitutional amendment protecting freedom on the ballot in 2024.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 5 (HB 5) into law in April, restricting abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy, an effective ban on late-term abortions in the state. The bill permits exceptions in the instance of medical necessity or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality, though does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest, or human trafficking.