2026 Florida redistricting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
46th Governor of Florida Presidential campaigns |
||
_(cropped).jpg)
Since 2025, the U.S. state of Florida and its Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, have faced pressure from national Republicans to gerrymander the state's congressional map as part of a broader national effort between red states and blue states to gain an advantage in the 2026 U.S. House elections. At the 2024 general election, Florida's congressional plan returned twenty Republicans and eight Democrats to the 119th United States Congress. Republican leaders in the state believe that they can flip three to five Democratic seats by further cracking Democratic-leaning areas, particularly in the Tampa Bay area, Greater Orlando, and the Miami metropolitan area, which returned one, two, and five Democrats in 2024 respectively. In Florida, the authority to redraw congressional districts lies solely with the Florida State Legislature.
On January 7, 2026, DeSantis called a special session of the state legislature for the purpose of redistricting the state's congressional maps, to take place in April. In order to accommodate a new map, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd moved the April qualifying date for the congressional primary to June.[1] On April 27, 2026, the day before the session's opening, DeSantis proposed a 24–4 congressional map to the Legislature. The map targets four incumbent Democrats: Kathy Castor of Tampa, Darren Soto of Orlando, and Lois Frankel and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, both of Miami.[2] The proposed map passed the Florida House of Representatives on the morning of April 29 in an 83–28 vote and advanced to the Florida Senate, where it passed by a 21–17 vote, both largely party-line.[3] DeSantis stated on April 30 that he will sign the bill "as soon as I get it."[4]
Partisan breakdown of map proposals
DeSantis proposal
|
Trump (R) +5–10 +10–20% +20% |
Harris (D) +0–5 +5–10 +10–20% +20%
|
Republican gain Republican hold |
Democratic hold
|
| District | Incumbent | 2024 U.S. presidential result | Notional outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 map | Proposal[5] | |||
| 1st district | Jimmy Patronis (R) | +38.98% | +38.98% | Rep. hold |
| 2nd district | Neal Dunn (R) | +18.07% | +18.07% | Rep. hold |
| 3rd district | Kat Cammack (R) | +20.99% | +20.99% | Rep. hold |
| 4th district | Kat Cammack (R) | +11.80% | +11.80% | Rep. hold |
| 5th district | Aaron Bean (R) | +21.34% | +21.34% | Rep. hold |
| 6th district | John Rutherford (R) | +29.99% | +29.99% | Rep. hold |
| 7th district | Randy Fine (R) | +12.42% | +12.42% | Rep. hold |
| 8th district | Mike Haridopolos (R) | +22.24% | +16.14% | Rep. hold |
| 9th district | Darren Soto (D) | −3.50% | +17.71% | Rep. gain |
| 10th district | Maxwell Frost (D) | −22.62% | −23.89% | Dem. hold |
| 11th district | Daniel Webster (R) | +16.20% | +15.63% | Rep. hold |
| 12th district | Gus Bilirakis (R) | +34.46% | +15.33% | Rep. hold |
| 13th district | Anna Paulina Luna (R) | +11.81% | +13.26% | Rep. hold |
| 14th district | Kathy Castor (D) | −7.64% | +10.47% | Rep. gain |
| 15th district | Laurel Lee (R) | +11.15% | +19.77% | Rep. hold |
| 16th district | Vern Buchanan (R) | +15.40% | +13.64% | Rep. hold |
| 17th district | Greg Steube (R) | +23.84% | +22.00% | Rep. hold |
| 18th district | Scott Franklin (R) | +29.31% | +16.90% | Rep. hold |
| 19th district | Byron Donalds (R) | +29.04% | +30.08% | Rep. hold |
| 20th district | Vacant | −39.49% | −37.06% | Dem. hold |
| 21st district | Brian Mast (R) | +16.50% | +16.17% | Rep. hold |
| 22nd district | Lois Frankel (D) | −5.55% | +10.47% | Rep. gain |
| 23rd district | Jared Moskowitz (D) | −1.90% | −13.77% | Dem. hold |
| 24th district | Frederica Wilson (D) | −29.95% | −38.62% | Dem. hold |
| 25th district | Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) | −5.31% | +9.11% | Rep. gain |
| 26th district | Mario Díaz-Balart (R) | +34.86% | +18.32% | Rep. hold |
| 27th district | María Elvira Salazar (R) | +14.61% | +14.53% | Rep. hold |
| 28th district | Carlos A. Giménez (R) | +25.34% | +25.39% | Rep. hold |
Legality
Partisan gerrymandering has been unconstitutional in Florida since the enactment of a 2010 referendum, according to Section 20 of Article III of the state constitution.[6] Jason Poreda, who drew the districts, admitted to viewing partisan data while creating the districts. He framed it as being only one factor in drawing the map.[7]
Reactions
Political analysts warn that drawing too aggressive of a gerrymander comes with the risk of diluting Republican majorities and creating more tossup districts to a point that, with a particularly strong swing, Democrats could end up gaining seats in a situation known as a dummymander.
From Democrats
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz called the proposal "a completely unconstitutional partisan gerrymander," and Representative Jared Moskowitz believed the plan could backfire.[8]
From Republicans
U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Maria Elvira Salazar responded positively to the maps proposed by DeSantis. Representative John Rutherford of Jacksonville warns that targeting four Democratic seats "could be a bit much."[8]
See also
- 2025 California Proposition 50 – Amendment to California's Constitution
- 2025 Missouri redistricting – Proposed change to congressional districts
- 2025 Texas redistricting – Mid-decade change to congressional district boundaries
- 2025 Virginia redistricting – Mid-decade change to congressional district boundaries