Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly is not happy that Florida Republicans are looking to take a page out of Texas's book over congressional redistricting. Jolly, who's looking to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis in Tallahassee in 2026, slammed the GOP's move, which could help House Republicans hold their thin majority in Congress next fall.
"Florida Republicans have realized they're about to lose control of Congress. And more importantly, their positions on healthcare, immigration, education, and the economy are hugely unpopular," Jolly said. "But instead of changing their positions, they are changing the maps.
The criticism follows Gov. Ron DeSantis's once again call for a mid-decade redrawing of Florida’s congressional map, similar to plans in the Lone Star State. Days ago, House Speaker Daniel "Danny" Perez (R-Miami) announced a Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting to look into the move.
The governor vetoed a congressional map drawn by the Legislature in 2022, and instead drafted his own. That map was approved by the Florida Supreme Court in July.
As defined, gerrymandering is the practice of drawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one political party, in this case the Florida GOP, an advantage over its democratic counterpart.
Florida has 28 congressional districts, of which 20 are Republican controlled. Congressional maps are typically redrawn based on U.S. Census data, which comes out every decade.
Jolly's criticism was also picked up by the Florida Democratic Party, which called the GOP's move corrupt and an abuse of power.
Moreover, Florida Democrats accused the GOP of "bowing down" to President Donald Trump, who sparked much of the gerrymandering debate by asking Texas Gov. Greg Abbot for additional congressional seats last month.
Adding to the fray, Trump recently ordered the Department of Commerce to create a new U.S. census to exclude illegal aliens from the population count. The move, if enacted, could have major ramifications on the congressional representation of states, as well as the number of electoral votes each receives.
"Gerrymandering is an attack on democracy. As governor, I will veto any partisan gerrymandering maps," Jolly continued. "And as governor, I will fight for an independent redistricting commission in the State of Florida just like we should have in every state across the country."
