Florida Lawmakers Prepare for Session on Redistricting

Lawmakers in Florida will meet this week during a special session to consider redistricting.

The Details: On Tuesday, Florida lawmakers will consider new congressional lines ahead of the November midterms. Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has said that a new map is warranted because the US Supreme Court may limit race as a factor in redistricting soon, and Florida would be required to act at that time anyway. DeSantis has also argued that Florida's population has grown substantially since 2020 and that the state should consider a new allocation of districts. Meanwhile, a lawsuit has been filed by a group led my Democratic attorney Marc Elias that claims DeSantis has overstepped his authority by calling a special session for redistricting. 

Key Quote: "Part of it is, we're going to be forced to do it I think because the Supreme Court's VRA decision is going to impact the current map, so just — no matter what else happens, that is going to have to be addressed," DeSantis said in December.

For Context: The special session in Florida takes place one week after voters in Virginia narrowly passed a referendum that will temporarily give the state's Democratic-controlled legislature the power to redistrict through 2030, if the referendum clears legal hurdles. Over the past nine months, Republicans and Democrats have been seeking to redraw district maps in states they control in order to gain partisan advantages ahead of the midterms. Republicans currently hold a three seat majority in the US House of Representatives.

How the Media Covered It: Sources across the political spectrum noted that, last week, US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries argued that redrawing the maps in Florida would harm Republican members of Congress. DeSantis had responded that he would welcome Jeffries to Florida and that his Democratic policies are not supported there. NBC News (Lean Left bias) reported that some Republican lawmakers in Florida are pushing back on redistricting, saying it could put some districts in play by diluting the Republican vote. In their headline, The Hill (Center) reported that candidates and election officials in Florida were "in limbo" as lawmakers consider a new map and did not mention President Trump, though other sources did mention that Trump was pressuring for a change in a battle for redistricting.

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