TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Another red state may join Texas in trying to boost the GOP House majority ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, fresh off a win at the state Supreme Court over a congressional map he pushed through three years ago, said Thursday the state should consider overhauling its districts between censuses. The GOP governor claimed Florida’s map is currently “malapportioned” due to its population surge and that there’s “ample justification” for a mid-decade redistricting effort.
“Florida, you know, we got a raw deal on the census,” DeSantis said during an event in Bradenton. “We only got one seat when some of these other states were getting seats, when we’ve obviously had more growth. We should have gotten at least two.”
The comments from DeSantis come as Democrats and Republicans spar over crucial congressional seats.
Texas Republicans recently called for a special session focused on redrawing their state’s maps to more heavily favor their party ahead of the midterms, and other GOP-led states are expected to follow suit. Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing back through events like a planned fundraiser in Martha’s Vineyard headlined by former President Barack Obama to fight Republican redistricting proposals in Texas and Ohio.
Florida picked up an extra seat in the last round of reapportionment and produced maps that triggered a lengthy legal battle only resolved this month by the state Supreme Court. The map pushed by the governor ultimately resulted in Republicans gaining four seats across the state, helping the GOP narrowly win the House back in 2022.
“They should award Texas and Florida for sure, at least one more seat, because when [Joe] Biden took over, we were supposed to get two seats in Florida, and we only got one,” DeSantis said Thursday. “Rhode Island was supposed to lose a seat. And guess who the Commerce secretary under Biden was? Former governor of Rhode Island [Gina Raimondo]. Did Rhode Island end up losing a seat? No, they kept both.”
Gary Fineout contributed to this report.
