By Joseph Ax
April 29 (Reuters) – Florida Republicans on Wednesday approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping four Democratic-held U.S. House seats, delivering a major boost to their party’s chances of preserving their narrow majority in November’s midterm elections.
The map, drawn by Governor Ron DeSantis’ office, gives Republicans the advantage in 24 of the state’s 28 U.S. House of Representatives seats, up from their current 20-8 edge.
The Florida House of Representatives passed the bill 83-28, while the state Senate voted in favor 21-17, largely along party lines. As the House vote proceeded, state Representative Angie Nixon, a Democrat, marched up and down the aisle with a bullhorn, accusing Republicans of violating the Florida Constitution.
Florida’s vote came shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark voting rights ruling that could eventually allow Republican-controlled Southern states to dismantle multiple Democratic seats. DeSantis had cited that looming decision as part of his reasoning for drawing a new map.
Earlier, during floor debate, Democrats repeatedly questioned how the map could possibly comply with the state constitution’s prohibition on drawing district lines for partisan benefit, a practice known as gerrymandering. Democrats have already vowed to challenge the map in court.
“This is not just another vote,” Democratic state Representative Rita Harris said. “This is a moment that will define how seriously we take the constitution we all swore an oath to uphold.”
Lawyers for DeSantis have said the governor believes that provision is unconstitutional. DeSantis seems to be betting that the Florida Supreme Court, which will likely have the final say and where six of the seven justices are DeSantis appointees, will ultimately approve the map.
“I believe this map is based on viable legal theories and will be upheld,” Republican Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka said on the floor.
Wednesday’s vote is among the final moves in an unprecedented national redistricting arms race that began last year, when Republican U.S. President Donald Trump pushed Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional map and take aim at five Democratic seats.
Other states followed, including Democratic-controlled California and Virginia, and Republican-led Missouri and North Carolina. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years after the U.S. Census counts the population to adjust for changes.
Virginia voters last week approved a new Democratic-drawn map that is likely to flip four Republican U.S. House seats, but Republicans have filed multiple lawsuits seeking to invalidate the ballot measure on procedural grounds. The state Supreme Court has declined to lift a lower court order blocking certification of the results while those challenges remain pending.
After Virginia’s vote, Democrats appeared to have fought Trump’s gambit to a near-draw, but Florida’s map – if upheld – would swing the edge back to Republicans. A court ruling throwing out the Virginia election could leave Republicans with a gain of around seven seats nationwide.
Democrats need to flip three Republican-held seats in November to win control of the House, giving them the power to block Trump’s legislative agenda and launch investigations into his administration.
Democrats have warned that the map will backfire on Republicans in November, as the effort to push Democratic districts to the right has made some incumbents’ own districts less conservative, leaving them more vulnerable.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Comments