The redistricting battle in Florida intensified Thursday as House Speaker Mike Johnson publicly endorsed redrawing the state's congressional maps ahead of November's midterm elections, adding to pressure on Gov. Ron DeSantis just days before a special legislative session begins.
What the Left Is Saying
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that any new map favoring Republicans would trigger Democratic retaliation. "Our message to Florida Republicans is, 'F around and find out,'" Jeffries told reporters, referencing next week's redistricting session. He said Democrats would expand their target list of vulnerable Florida House Republicans if the legislature moves forward with redrawing districts.
Virginia's recent referendum vote has heightened Democratic optimism about midterm map control. Last week, Virginia voters narrowly passed a measure giving the state's Democratic-controlled legislature temporary redistricting power through 2030, which could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia's congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.
What the Right Is Saying
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Wednesday that Florida should redraw its maps in time for the midterms. "Florida has the right and the intention to do it," Johnson said when asked about the redistricting effort. "My view is that they should."
A Florida-based Republican in DeSantis' wider political circle, speaking anonymously to Fox News Digital, said: "Gov. DeSantis is under tremendous pressure to deliver an answer to Virginia for Trump and Speaker Johnson."
DeSantis has argued that the last U.S. Census contained flaws that cost Florida a congressional seat. He has also pointed to the influx of new residents who moved to Florida from other states during the COVID-19 pandemic as justification for redrawing districts.
Not all Republicans support the effort. A Florida-based GOP strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Fox News Digital that some members of Congress "don't want this." The strategist added that while "some don't want to do it, their hands will be forced."
What the Numbers Show
Republicans currently hold a razor-thin House majority heading into midterm elections where they must defend their congressional control.
Florida's current U.S. House delegation stands at 20 Republicans and 8 Democrats following DeSantis' previous redistricting effort four years ago.
If Florida creates between three and five additional right-leaning districts, the state could significantly offset potential Democratic gains from Virginia's new map-drawing authority.
The GOP would need to net only a small number of seats nationally to maintain House control during Trump's final two years in office.
The Bottom Line
Florida's Tuesday special session represents what analysts describe as the likely final battleground in a year-long redistricting war between both parties. Both chambers of the Florida legislature are dominated by Republicans, giving DeSantis the votes needed to advance a new map if he can secure legislative support.
The governor faces legal constraints: Florida's constitution prohibits redrawing maps for partisan gain, known as gerrymandering. Democrats have vowed lawsuits against any new map that emerges from Tallahassee.
Florida has already moved its congressional candidate filing deadline from April to June in anticipation of the redistricting changes. The late-in-the-game map revision creates complications for candidates who have been campaigning under previous district boundaries.