President Donald Trump is urging Republicans nationwide to move away from anti-vaccine messaging ahead of the Midterms. Still, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking the opposite approach by advancing a high-profile vaccine exemption bill even as the state reports one of the nation’s highest measles case counts.
… Surveys from Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio indicate that voters broadly oppose efforts to reduce the childhood vaccine schedule.
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National polling from Fabrizio shows … 86% of voters overall agree that vaccines save lives, and more than three in four say vaccines remain the best defense against infectious disease.
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But in Florida, DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis continue to champion what they describe as “medical freedom” policies, including broad expansions of non-medical vaccine exemptions. Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has also remained a vocal critic of childhood vaccine requirements, even as the Florida Department of Health advances rules to repeal several immunizations currently required for public school attendance.
This push comes as the state faces one of the country’s largest measles surges. According to the CDC, Florida now ranks third in the nation for measles cases, surpassing the state’s total case count from the previous year.
