Florida starts redistricting talks in a growing battle for House control
Source: ABC News/AP
December 4, 2025, 12:01 AM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida’s Republican-controlled House is holding the first meeting of its select committee on congressional redistricting Thursday, as the state becomes the latest to consider redrawing electoral maps amid a partisan battle for every edge in next year’s midterm elections.
The national wave of redistricting efforts was instigated by President Donald Trump, who hopes to buck the historical trend of the president’s party losing seats in midterms, and his allies are wagering that his adopted home state could yield three to five more seats for Republicans. Each seat is crucial, because Democrats need a net gain of just three to control the chamber.
But the push for redistricting faces major challenges in Florida due to bitter infighting between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and leaders in the GOP-dominated Legislature, along with a provision in the state Constitution that explicitly bars redrawing maps with the intent to “favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent.”
DeSantis has voiced support for redistricting and even called for a redo of the 2020 U.S. census, claiming that Florida was shortchanged in the count, which determines how many congressional seats each state gets. “We are going to press this issue,” DeSantis said in August. This week, in an interview with online outlet The Floridian, DeSantis floated the possibility of calling lawmakers back in a special session if they do not get redistricting done in the regular session, which is scheduled for Jan. 13 to March 13.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/florida-starts-redistricting-talks-growing-battle-house-control-128098461
Will reiterate what Ted Lieu predicted -
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@tedlieu
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Dear Indiana and Florida GOP: The only way you can gerrymander more red seats is by making existing Republican incumbent districts even weaker.
I dare you to do so after tonight’s 13 point over performance by Democrats in a midterm level turnout special election in Tennessee.
CJ Warnke
@cjwarnke
If top Republican strategists are sounding the alarm like this publicly, you can only imagine the meltdowns being had behind closed doors.
Last edited
10:57 PM · Dec 2, 2025