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Florida Republicans are progressively pushing to redraw the state’s legislature lines pursuing a similar move by the Texas GOP.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Wednesday helium is “very seriously” looking astatine asking the authorities Legislature to redraw the state’s legislature map, arguing the 2020 census is flawed.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.) came retired successful favour of redistricting successful a station connected societal level X, penning that “Texas tin bash it, the Free State of Florida tin bash it 10X better.”
Florida Republicans accidental they were already headed successful this absorption pursuing a authorities Supreme Court determination that upheld a legislature representation supported by DeSantis and authorities Republicans.
But the program is gaining adjacent much traction successful the aftermath of Texas Republicans’ unveiling of a caller legislature map.
“It’s picking up steam,” Florida GOP Chair Evan Power told The Hill. “We were astir apt heading determination with the tribunal decision, but Texas made it apical news.”
Florida has seen an uptick successful colonisation maturation pursuing the coronavirus pandemic successful 2020.
The authorities has besides go solidly Republican implicit the past decade, with Republicans increasing their practice successful Congress and once-Democratic strongholds similar Miami-Dade and Osceola counties flipping from bluish to red.
A fig of Democratic-held legislature seats could beryllium impacted if redistricting were to instrumentality place, including those held successful southbound Florida by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz and Lois Frankel. Rep. Kathy Castor (D) successful the Tampa country and Rep. Darren Soto (D) extracurricular of Orlando person besides been floated arsenic imaginable targets.
Florida Republicans already clasp a 20 to 8 vantage implicit Democrats successful the legislature delegation.
Republicans were boosted past period erstwhile the state’s Supreme Court ruled to uphold a legislature representation that blocked a situation to the elimination of a majority-Black legislature territory successful the northbound of the authorities that antecedently was represented by erstwhile Rep. Al Lawson (D). The country that comprised the erstwhile legislature territory is present divided among 3 Republican lawmakers.
But DeSantis is not stopping there.
The politician has argued that Florida got a “raw deal” successful the 2020 census erstwhile the authorities lone gained 1 legislature seat. The politician said past period helium had relayed his concerns to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick aft helium was sworn successful earlier this twelvemonth and that the Trump medication could beryllium pursuing redoing the census.
Additionally, the politician said helium believes Florida’s Fair District amendments, which a bulk of voters approved of successful 2010, could struggle with the U.S. Constitution. The amendments accidental that districts cannot beryllium drawn successful a mode that hinders minorities voting for their prime of elected representatives.
“There’s a batch of radical who judge that the Fair District Amendments is unconstitutional, due to the fact that what it does is, it mandates having contention predominate,” DeSantis said this week. “Whereas, neutrality should truly beryllium the law standard.”
Patronis besides said successful his X station that helium believes the Fair District Amendments are unconstitutional “because it violates state of code AND elections are a states rights issue.”
“Time to adhd much conservatives to Congress, truthful we tin amended present connected President Trump’s agenda, yet triumph the warfare against woke, chopped authorities waste, and make an system that moves our state into a caller property of prosperity,” Patronis said.
Republicans reason that DeSantis and the state’s Republicans could beryllium mounting an illustration for different reddish states to follow.
“DeSantis present sees an accidental to beryllium a trailblazer for the Republican Party successful this consciousness successful that helium could beryllium mounting up a aviator programme that Texas and immoderate of the different states tin really follow,” a Florida Republican strategist said.
“Let’s not disillusion ourselves, if helium pulls this off, helium volition beryllium a instrumentality favourite of 1 idiosyncratic who sits astatine 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” the strategist added, referring to Trump.
So far, Republicans successful the Florida authorities Legislature person remained publically quiescent astir the imaginable of pursuing redistricting. This year’s authorities legislative league was extended from 60 days to 105 days and saw tensions look betwixt DeSantis and members of his ain party.
State Rep. Alex Andrade, a vocal Republican professional of DeSantis, said helium has not spoken to his colleagues astir redistricting. The authorities lawmaker noted helium would enactment the effort lone if the census was redone.
“I get the partisan argument,” Andrade told The Hill. “I recognize we could marque hay close present and payment Republicans but astatine immoderate constituent bash I attraction much astir my enactment oregon the Constitution?”
“If the census were redone, I’d leap each implicit it,” helium said.
Florida Democrats pass that a determination by DeSantis and the state’s Republicans would acceptable a antagonistic precedent.
“It would mean that the politician and the authorities legislative subdivision would wholly capitulate nether Donald Trump,” authorities House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D) said. “It’s not expected to beryllium that the president gets to enactment similar a king and accidental ‘do this connected my behalf.’”
In a Facebook video posted by Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Soto accused Republicans of wanting to cheat successful the election.
“They privation to prime their voters alternatively than voters picking their representatives,” helium said. “You’ll spot america bash immoderate we tin successful the courts to marque definite that the Fair Districts Amendments are enforced.”
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Madison Andrus dismissed the effort from Florida Republicans arsenic “a bold-faced effort to prevention their flailing midterm show by rigging the game.”
The effort comes arsenic the nationwide redistricting warfare heats up and some parties question to summation seats up of adjacent year’s midterm elections.
In summation to Republicans successful Texas and perchance Florida taking a look astatine redistricting, Democrats successful states similar California and New Jersey are besides exploring their options.
“There’s an accidental and if it amended reflects the constitution of a authorities whether that’s Texas oregon Florida, oregon to Gavin Newsom’s constituent adjacent California, past you should bash it,” a nationalist Republican strategist said.
“These redistricting efforts, if they comply with the instrumentality and conscionable each of the assorted national thresholds to get mapped through, if you bash that and bash it quickly, you’re going to summation the likelihood that the president and Republicans successful Washington and going to beryllium capable to support pushing things forward,” the strategist continued.
