TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s looming congressional redistricting fight is drawing fresh national attention. That’s after Virginia voters approved a mid-decade redraw that could help Democrats in the U.S. House, increasing pressure on Florida Republicans to move forward with a map of their own.
Florida lawmakers are set to take up redistricting in a special session beginning April 28. The move comes as both parties treat redistricting as a key front in the battle for control of Congress. Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a plan that could improve Democrats’ House prospects, intensifying focus on whether Florida Republicans will follow through on a DeSantis-backed redraw.
WATCH: Florida redistricting fight draws new pressure after Virginia vote, as Democrats warn of political blowback
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned Wednesday that national Democrats would aggressively contest Florida seats if Republicans move ahead.
“Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out,” said Jeffries. “If they go down the road of a ‘DeSantis dummymander,’ the Florida Republicans are gonna find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans.”
The warnings land as Florida Republicans face conflicting pressures. National allies want action after Democrats’ success in Virginia, but analysts say a redraw in Florida could also create new risks for some Republican incumbents.
“All eyes are moving from Virginia to Florida,” University of South Florida professor emerita Susan MacManus said. She added that if districts are reworked, “They could end up with themselves having to run in much more competitive districts.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis has argued Florida’s rapid population growth justifies revisiting the map now, even before the U.S. Supreme Court rules in a pending Voting Rights Act case.
“Florida has experienced 10 years' worth of population growth in like three, and so if you look, our districts are not fairly apportioned because of that,” DeSantis said earlier this month.
No proposed map has been released publicly. House Speaker Daniel Perez said this weekend that lawmakers expect one from the governor’s office ahead of the session.
“The governor called for this special session. We did not,” Perez said. “We expect him to produce a map.”
Florida Republicans have dismissed Democratic threats. State GOP Chair Evan Power challenged Democrats to spend money in the state, saying, “We won't be intimidated by the likes of Hakeem Jeffries.”
DeSantis continued the taunting at a Wednesday press conference.
“Please, be my guest,” he said. “I will pay for you to come down to Florida. I’ll put you up in the Florida Governor’s Mansion. We’ll take you fishing. We’ll do all this stuff— there’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida.”
Public opinion could further complicate the effort. An Emerson College Polling survey found 44% of likely Florida voters support a mid-decade redistricting plan, while 56% oppose it. While lawmakers don’t need public approval to proceed, they may be hesitant in a midterm cycle already fraught with warnings for the GOP supermajority.
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