Ron DeSantis, Florida\u2019s Republican governor, on Monday unveiled his proposal for redistricting his state\u2019s congressional maps, a move he hopes will net his party up to four additional House seats in November\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n
The long-awaited reveal, which will be debated during a special session<\/a> of Florida\u2019s legislature called by DeSantis beginning Tuesday, is the latest, and possibly final, act of a nationwide \u201cgerrymandering\u201d battle for control of Congress sparked by Donald Trump that looks increasingly to be moving back in Republicans\u2019 favor.<\/p>\n The supreme court on Monday sided with Republicans<\/a> in Texas by reinstating a redrawn electoral map that could flip up to five seats.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Virginia, another state with potentially consequential implications for November\u2019s election, is locked in a legal fight over Democrats\u2019 efforts to seize four Republican-held seats.<\/p>\n Last week, a district court judge blocked<\/a> a new map, approved just the day before in a referendum. Richmond circuit court judge Tracy Thorne-Begland then ruled against Republicans on Sunday, the Hill reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Virginia case will ultimately be decided by the state\u2019s supreme court, which was hearing arguments on Monday.<\/p>\n The Democrats\u2019 biggest success came in California, where voters in November backed maps that could land them five additional seats. The supreme court ruled in February<\/a> to reject a Republican challenge.<\/p>\n If approved by the Florida legislature\u2019s Republican majority, DeSantis\u2019s new maps will, subject to legal challenges, be adopted in time for the 2026 midterms. Currently, Republicans hold 20 House seats in the state to the Democrats\u2019 seven, with one more vacant following last week\u2019s resignation<\/a> of Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick for allegedly misusing federal disaster funds.<\/p>\n The DeSantis plan, he has asserted, was necessary to balance representation in several districts that have seen significant population changes. But it could leave Democrats with just four seats: one in central Florida<\/a>, and three in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Palm Beach metropolitan region that has traditionally been the party\u2019s stronghold.<\/p>\n \u201cFlorida got short-changed in the 2020 census, and we\u2019ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,\u201d DeSantis told Fox News, which first reported<\/a> his proposal on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cOur population has since grown dramatically, and we have moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage. Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.\u201d<\/p>\n His support for Florida\u2019s redistricting contrasted sharply with the response of Republicans<\/a> over the Virginia referendum result. Trump called that vote \u201crigged\u201d, and a travesty of justice, while Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, accused Democrats of a \u201cdishonest gambit to try to rig the system\u201d.<\/p>\n In Florida, however, Johnson was in favor of redistricting, telling Fox News that the state \u201chas the right and the intention to do it. And my view is that they should.\u201d<\/p>\n Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, cautioned DeSantis last week that the move could work against him, urging the governor during a conversation with reporters in Washington DC to \u201cF around and find out\u201d.<\/p>\n In a statement, Jeffries added: \u201cIf Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime pick-up opportunities for Democrats. We are prepared to take them all on, and we are prepared to win.\u201d<\/p>\n DeSantis responded to Jeffries\u2019 criticism at a press conference last week by inviting him to Florida to campaign for Democratic candidates.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down,\u201d he said, reported by the Hill<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ll put you up in the Florida governor\u2019s mansion. We will take you fishing.\u201d<\/p>\n His invitation sparked a further response from Jeffries, who announced the party would spend $20m in Florida on adverts targeting eight Republican incumbents seen as vulnerable in November.<\/p>\n