APRIL 13, 2024 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Florida House District 76 candidate Jim Blue responds to opponent’s Withdrawal
 
Jim Blue, (D) Punta Gorda, says his opponent Spencer Roach’s withdrawal from the District 76 race should focus attention on the main issue facing Florida’s voters.
 
Blue says, “Florida women are now facing one of the most extreme abortion bans in the nation. Starting next month, abortion will be banned for Florida women only six weeks after conception, before most even know they are pregnant.” Tallahassee Republican lawmakers, including Roach, passed the ban that was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
 
Roach, (R) North Fort Myers, withdrew unexpectedly yesterday, leaving Jim Blue as the sole declared candidate for District 76, which includes eastern Charlotte County, North Fort Myers, and DeSoto County. At least one Republican, Vanessa Oliver, has said she will run now that Roach is off the ballot.
 
Blue says, “Ms. Oliver, or any candidate for the legislature, should declare where they stand. Do they support the extreme assault on women’s freedom? Or do they want restoration of the rights enjoyed by their mothers and grandmothers? So far, Oliver has not revealed her position.”
 
Blue, of Punta Gorda, is an Emmy-winning television journalist. He declared his candidacy last October and has raised nearly $20,000 in contributions from individual voters in what’s expected to be a very closely-watched election.