After Trump’s Push, Florida House Speaker Signals State’s Interest in Joining Ongoing National Redistricting Battle

The Florida house of representatives on Thursday established a mid-decade congressional redistricting committee, a move that follows President Trump’s push for Republican-controlled states to redraw maps ahead of the 2026 midterms in order to protect the thin Republican majority in the House.The speaker of the Florida house, Daniel Perez, said the select committee on congressional redistricting would focus only on congressional maps rather than undertaking a full redistricting process, saying, “We do not have the capacity to engage in the full redistricting process,” which was last completed just a few years ago. Whether Florida will proceed with a new map is uncertain. The president of Florida’s state senate, Ben Albritton, a Republican, has not commented on the senate’s willingness to consider redistricting, fueling speculation about the timeline and feasibility of the initiative. Governor Ron DeSantis, however, has shown interest in seeing the map redrawn despite his own office drafting the current congressional map, validated by the Florida supreme court, last July. That map favors Republicans in 20 of the state’s 28 congressional seats.“I haven’t done it yet, but I think that I will when I need to,” Mr. DeSantis said last week during a news conference, cautiously acknowledging the legislature’s considerations. “But this is obviously something that we’re looking at very seriously.” The use of redistricting in the middle of a decade is rare, but Mr. Perez pointed to the state supreme court’s recent ruling as providing an opportunity. “Raising questions now, mid-decade, would potentially allow us to seek legal guidance … without having to wait until the once-a-decade national reapportionment of seats,” Mr. Perez said in a memo to lawmakers.Last year, the Florida supreme court upheld the 2022 congressional map in a five-to-one decision. Although critics alleged that the map dismantled a north Florida district previously held by a Democrat, Al Lawson, now a former congressman, the court deemed the previous district an illegal race-based gerrymander. The 2010 Fair Districts Florida constitutional amendment, approved by more than 60 percent of Florida voters, prohibits redistricting plans created with the intent to favor or disfavor any political party or deny racial minorities equal opportunity. Mr. Perez reaffirmed in his memo that no lawmakers with congressional ambitions or those who have shown partisan intent would serve on the redistricting committee. “House members who are interested in running for Congress will not serve on this committee,” the speaker said. He further emphasized that individuals who have expressed an “intent to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party” will also be disqualified from participation. While Mr. DeSantis has avoided discussing potential political gains, he said in his news conference that the focus should instead be on addressing the “problems with the map” that were identified as prioritizing race too heavily.

After Trump’s Push, Florida House Speaker Signals State’s Interest in Joining Ongoing National Redistricting Battle

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