The new Florida congressional districts are now “signed, sealed, delivered” by Governor Ron DeSantis.
The new Florida is being praised by some, and opposed by others, including legal action. Democrats say the Republican Governor signed a “partisan, gerrymandered Congressional map” that his office drew. Republicans say Florida’s congressional maps accurately reflect the population of the state and comply with the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
“Every Florida resident deserves to be represented fairly and constitutionally,” said Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
The recent special session drawing new congressional districts for the state of Florida was successful politically for the Governor, and he posted a photo of the new congressional districts with “signed, sealed, delivered.”
The new Florida districts provide gains for Republicans in four districts. The Florida delegation to Congress was represented by 20 Republicans and eight Democrats, and it now could be a 24-4 advantage for Republicans, but candidates and political parties still need to perform and win.
The Florida Democratic Party said the “illegal, hyperpartisan new map” was drawn at the request of President Donald Trump and they insist it violates Florida’s Fair Districts Act, which 63% of Florida voters enshrined in the state constitution in 2010. Democrats said the Florida Constitution is explicit: maps cannot be drawn to favor a political party.
“Ron DeSantis didn’t draw this map for Florida, he drew them for the only Floridian he cares about: Donald Trump,” FDP Chair Nikki Fried stated. “He would wilfully break the law and screw over the people of Florida for a morsel of relevance. Today’s map shows nothing but craven contempt for the voters. No one wants this; not the voters, not the legislature. There has been bipartisan opposition to this process for months. No matter what Ron does to try to rig the game, we will fight back.”
Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, who is running for Governor in the Republican primary, praised the new districts and his boss for getting it done, while attacking one of his opponents.
“No more race-based gerrymandering. Florida’s Congressional map is fair and represents our people,” Lt. Governor Jay Collins posted. “This wasn’t difficult. It only took Governor Ron DeSantis two weeks to get it done. It just takes common sense and some guts. While I stood with Governor DeSantis to take action, Byron Donalds stayed silent because he’s too scared of being sued. After the past 8 years of conservative wins, we can’t afford to downgrade to an all-talk, no-walk politician.”
One impacted Democrat is Central Florida Congressman Darren Soto, and he was already being targeted by the NRCC. But Rep. Soto questioned the Republican power play. “Gerrymander or Dummymander? This map is an absolutely unlawful violation of the Florida Constitution,” Rep. Soto posted, adding that he believed the courts should strike it down. “That being said, there are 12+ seats that Democrats could still win under this map in this cycle.”
Another Democrat impacted is Tampa Congresswoman Kathy Castor, who called the redistricting process illegal partisan gerrymandering and said “Republicans are rigging the election.” She will still run for re-election though. “I will keep fighting for Tampa Bay families – just as I always have – to lower their cost of living, take on the drivers of higher prices and improve their lives,” Rep. Kathy Castor stated.
