ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Data analysis shows that election-related issues of crime, health care and the economy are top of mind to Floridians ahead of the highly anticipated matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
The Associated Press compiled Google Trends from each state to determine national and state-wide election-related trends.
Here are the Top 10 issues people in Florida are Googling ahead of the debate:
10. U.S. Supreme Court
The United States Supreme Court has been releasing opinions since May shortly after oral arguments ended. Significant cases that have yet to be released include:
- Whether or not to charge Jan. 6 rioters and Trump with obstruction
- Whether Trump is immune from prosecution for his alleged efforts to stay in power
- Whether the First Amendment allows states to limit social media content
- Whether state and local officials can punish homeless people for camping and sleeping in public spaces when shelter beds are unavailable
9. Race
Within demographic groups, Trump and Biden supporters widely differ in views about race and ethnicity. The data below comes from a June 2024 study from the Pew Research Center.
Donald Trump supporters
- 19% of registered voters say the fact that the U.S. population is made up of people of many different races, ethnicities and religions weakens American society.
- 49% of registered voters say the fact that the U.S. population is made up of people of many different races, ethnicities and religions strengthens American society.
Joe Biden supporters
- 4% of registered voters say the fact that the U.S. population is made up of people of many different races, ethnicities and religions weakens American society.
- 82% of registered voters say the fact that the U.S. population is made up of people of many different races, ethnicities and religions strengthens American society.
8. Minimum wage
A 2021 voter-approved constitutional amendment increased the Florida minimum wage by $1 a year, beginning at $10 per hour in 2021 and ending at $15 per hour in 2026.
In 2020, Biden and Trump clashed over raising the minimum wage and its implications for small businesses. The two have not discussed the topic together since.
7. Abortion
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion has mostly been left up to the states' discretion. Florida has since implemented different abortion bans:
- July 2022: The 15-week abortion ban passed but it could not go into effect until upheld by the Florida Supreme Court
- April 2023: 6-week abortion ban passed but not yet in effect
- April 2024: Florida Supreme Court upholds 15-week-ban
- May 2024: 6-week abortion ban implemented
- November 2024: Florida Amendment 4 is on the ballot, which will establish a constitutional right to an abortion before fetal viability, which is usually about 20-26 weeks. A 60% super-majority vote is required to make it a law.
6. Economy
- Florida's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate was 6.1% per year during Q3 of 2023, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
- The real GDP has been growing since the end of a drop in Q2 of 2020 following the pandemic. The increase between Q2 of 2020 and Q3 of 2023 was $230 million. Q3 of 2023 had a real GDP of $1.6 trillion in goods and services, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
5. Unemployment
- Florida's private sector job growth rate increased by 0.4%, or 36,900 jobs, in January 2024, according to a release from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
- The labor force grew by 2.2%, or 243,000 jobs, in January 2024.
- The statewide unemployment rate (3.3%) has been lower than the national rate (4%).
- Florida's unemployment rate from November 2023 was 2.9%, ranking it 9th in the U.S., from lowest to highest, according to USA Facts.
4. Immigration
Florida immigration law prohibits anyone from transporting illegal immigrants into the state.
The law also penalizes Florida businesses that hire undocumented immigrants and requires a citizenship question on patient forms for hospitals that accept Medicare. Florida also no longer recognizes driver's licenses issued to undocumented immigrants from other states, CBS News reported.
However, a federal judge recently blocked its enforcement.
During his presidency, Trump's immigration policies included separating migrant families as part of a "zero tolerance" policy.
- If elected again, Trump wants to detain millions of undocumented immigrants in camps before deporting them en masse, according to the New York Times.
- He also said he intended to build a wall at the southern border during his presidency.
Biden recently announced that the U.S. will allow certain spouses of U.S. citizens without legal status to apply for permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship. This comes after his order to halt asylum at the southern border when groups in large quantities try to cross.
- He is also easing the process of receiving work visas for Dreamers, DACA recipients and other individuals with a degree at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education who have received an offer of employment.
3. Health care
In March 2024, DeSantis signed four pieces of legislation into law called the "Live Healthy Plan." The bills aimed at growing Florida's health care workforce, incentivizing technological innovation, expanding services to Floridians with disabilities and establishing a new category of teaching hospitals focused on behavioral health. Full descriptions of these bills can be found here.
Trump still aims to get rid of Obamacare and implement a better system, he said at a campaign stop in Iowa on Jan. 6, 2024.
- During his presidency, Trump secured policy changes to bring more transparency to hospital prices and paid for by health insurers, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Biden signed a law in March 2024 to give Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices through the Inflation Reduction Act.
- The act also caps out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 a month for Medicare enrollees.
2. Social security
Trump said he would make cuts to Social Security in an interview with CNBC in March 2024. His campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt later told CNN that Trump was discussing cutting waste, not entitlements.
- When Trump was president, the administration's budget proposals included cutting Social Security disability benefits and Medicare by reducing provider payments, according to CNN.
Biden proposed raising taxes on wealthy Americans to ensure Social Security solvency during his 2020 campaign.
- He has expressed support for increasing benefits for low-income recipients and seniors.
1. Crime
DeSantis said he was proud of Florida's low crime rate when he announced his bid for the White House in 2023.
His statement, however, relies upon incomplete crime data compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as about half of agencies that police more than 40 percent of the state's population are missing from the dataset, according to The Marshall Project.
“The methodology used by FDLE statisticians is statistically sound and accurately represents the trend of the crime rate in Florida,” a spokesperson told the outlet.
The rate of violent and property crime in Florida has been on a downward trend before 2021. According to The Pew Research Center, property crime in the U.S. is more common than violent crime.
The presidential debate, hosted by CNN on Thursday at 9 p.m., will be the first time President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be on a stage together since 2020.