Florida Gov. DeSantis unveils aggressive new GOP gerrymander 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Monday unveiled a new gerrymandered congressional map that seeks to carve out four additional GOP-friendly seats in the Sunshine State.

The GOP-heavy proposed map, which is expected to be rubber-stamped by the Republican-held state legislature this week, could be in place before the 2026 midterms.

Florida’s constitution bans lawmakers from intentionally creating congressional seats to give their party an advantage. But the Florida Supreme Court, six of the seven members of which were appointed by DeSantis, has signaled in recent years that it doesn’t believe the voter-approved ban to be a barrier to gerrymandering.

The new map comes amid President Donald Trump’s push for Republican leaders in red states to redraw congressional boundaries to help him maintain power. 

DeSantis first revealed the map to Fox News before state lawmakers, who are set to return to Tallahassee this week for a special session on the map, had seen it. 

The governor claimed the proposal was needed because the state was “shortchanged” by the 2020 Census.

“We’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,” DeSantis told Fox News Digital. “Our population has since grown dramatically, and we have moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage. 

DeSantis added that the new map was needed to eliminate key districts in which Black voters have a significant impact or a majority.

“Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited,” the governor said.

DeSantis’ proposal comes less than a week after Virginia voters adopted an amendment to the Commonwealth’s constitution allowing the state legislature to redraw the congressional map and swing up to four House of Representatives seats to Democrats. However, the amendment still faces multiple legal challenges from Republicans. 

While Republicans in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina passed new GOP-friendly maps at Trump’s behest, they have been offset by new maps favoring Democrats in California and Virginia.

The new push in Florida could swing the mid-decade redistricting war back into Republicans’ favor, though there’s a real risk of DeSantis’ effort backfiring.

In breaking up Democratic districts or diluting them, his proposal could make other GOP-held seats more vulnerable from an influx of new Democratic voters — especially in a midterm year when polls show Democrats are likely to overperform.