DeSantis signs Florida redistricting map to potentially flip 4 House seats red https://ift.tt/UM86Kmr

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new congressional map into law Monday that could flip as many as four additional U.S. House seats to red, escalating a redistricting fight in the second-largest red state to combat the long-running Democratic sweep in the deep-blue Northeast.

"Signed, sealed and delivered," DeSantis hailed in a Monday X post, sharing an image of Florida’s newly redrawn districts.

The GOP-controlled Legislature passed the proposal just days earlier and the Senate approved it, one week after DeSantis’ office delivered the plan to lawmakers.

DeSantis and Republican allies have pointed to Florida’s population growth as justification for redrawing the map, which is expected to draw immediate legal challenges from Democrats and left-wing voting rights groups.

RON DESANTIS UNVEILS NEW FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL MAP THAT WOULD GIVE THE GOP AN EXTRA FOUR SEATS

Florida Republicans hold a 20-8 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation under the map DeSantis signed four years ago. The new map could expand that edge to 24 seats by reshaping districts now held by Reps. Kathy Castor, D-Fla.; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; Darren Soto, D-Fla.; and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

The map would leave Republican red across most of Florida, with four Democratic strongholds relegated to major metro areas.

Those four Democrats have said they intend to seek re-election, though some are weighing runs in newly configured districts.

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Moskowitz has not made a "final decision," but said that if he runs, he would seek the 25th District, a coastal South Florida seat that includes many Jewish voters and roughly half of his current district, he told Politico on Monday.

The district backed President Donald Trump in 2024 but is still viewed by some Republican consultants as competitive.

DeSantis has pushed for new congressional lines since last summer, citing several reasons, including the possibility that the Supreme Court could further restrict how race can be considered in redistricting.

The governor’s office has said the new map was drawn in a "race neutral" manner. That approach led to major changes in a South Florida district previously held by former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., who resigned earlier this month.

Democrats dispute DeSantis' argument, pointing in part to Central Florida, where Hispanic voters — many of them Puerto Rican — were split across several districts.

Florida's Fair Districts amendment bars districts drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.