President Trump’s push for Republican leaders in red states to redraw congressional boundaries to help him maintain power now pivots to his adopted home state, Florida – and his political frenemy, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
As the late Tim Russert of NBC News once said about the presidency on election night 2000, the key to the GOP retaining control of Congress also could come down to “Florida, Florida, Florida.”
State lawmakers convene a special session April 28 to change Florida’s 28 congressional districts. Ruling Republicans are intent on increasing the odds of them winning four more districts on top of the 20 seats they now hold.
The stakes also have climbed since April 21, when voters in Virginia approved a measure that could net Democrats as many as four more seats in Congress following November’s midterm elections. A state judge has since struck down the new lines, setting up an appeal and injecting new uncertainty into how those potential gains will play out.
Republicans now cling to a razor-thin lead in the U.S. House. But Trump’s sagging approval numbers are likely to cost the party in the midterms.
