Florida to consider new House map to give GOP potential 24-4 advantage

The Florida Legislature is convening Tuesday to review a new congressional map proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in an effort to net Republicans up to four new seats in the latest tit-for-tat in the redistricting wars ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Florida is currently represented by 20 Republicans and seven Democrats, with one seat vacant after Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned last week. DeSantis' proposed map aims to eliminate or shrink Democratic-leaning districts in Tampa, Orlando and parts of the state's southeast coast. Should this map pass, Democratic Representatives Jared Moskowitz, Lois Frankel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Castor and Darren Soto are all likely to run in new districts, some of which would have shifted to be more favorable for Republicans. "The representation for Florida Democrats will clearly be diminished within the state — at least that's the intention" said University of Florida political science professor Michael McDonald. "Already it's diminished below what a fair map would be for the state of Florida." Florida map shows proposed congressional redistricting Florida is likely the last state to redraw its congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections after President Trump kicked off the mid-decade redistricting scramble in Texas last year to net more seats for the GOP. …