Florida lawmakers approved a new congressional voting map that could help Republicans flip four House seats currently held by Democrats. The map supports President Trump's push for redistricting in Republican-led states. Democrats condemned it as partisan gerrymandering.
Florida lawmakers passed a new congressional voting map during a special session, moving quickly after Republican Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled it on Monday. Both chambers approved it on Wednesday. The map aims to address population shifts from recent migration into the state, as Republican state Senator Don Gaetz explained: 'We have an extraordinarily unique situation in Florida with this tremendous additional number of people who moved to our state and have been disproportionately placed in different parts of the state.' Gaetz added that DeSantis does not want lines drawn on the basis of race, especially following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Wednesday from a Louisiana case challenging minority voter protections. DeSantis posted on X that the decision cleared the way for Florida's redistricting. Democrats fiercely opposed the map, arguing it undermines minority voting power and violates a 2010 state ban on gerrymandering. State Senator LaVon Bracy Davis stated during debate: 'This is about power. This is about relinquishing our power and giving it to the president.' State Representative Michele Rayner called it 'illegal' and a 'partisan gerrymander.' The approval aligns with Trump's national redistricting efforts, following similar moves in Texas and countered by Democrats in California and Virginia. Voting rights activists plan court challenges, while Democrats cite recent special election wins as reason Republicans might not gain the seats.
