Florida's new 'dummymandered' congressional map is still in play
News and commentary for Floridians and other Americans concerned about the future of fair elections in our democracy
By J.C. Bruce
You have to look very closely at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ redrawn map of Florida’s congressional districts to find even the tiniest speck of blue.
And that was the point.
DeSantis and the Republicans controlling the state Legislature, which approved the redistricting, made no bones about it—the entire point was to wipe out as many Democrats representing Florida in Congress as possible.
There’s a reason why DeSantis paraded his creation on Fox News before even showing it to state legislators who would ultimately approve it: He was looking for a pat on the back from Donald Trump, who has insisted Republican-dominated states like Florida improve the odds of his party’s control of Congress in the midterm elections.
Never mind that in the split between Republicans and Democrats in Florida, were the map reflective of those proportions, there would be at least 11 so-called “safe” Democratic seats instead of the four that DeSantis, try as he might, couldn’t quite erase.
Obviously, it is a political stunt. And, just as obviously, it is a violation of the Fair Districts amendments to the state’s Constitution enacted to thwart these sorts of shenanigans.
Which is why immediately after DeSantis signed his atrocious map into law, lawsuits were filed,
Those ended up in the court of a DeSantis appointee, Circuit Judge Joshua M. Hawkes, who, after more than a week following the initial hearing, finally got around to ruling against putting the new map on hold.
His argument: He had to weigh “the lesser of two evils.”
The previous map, in which Democrats managed to scrape out eight of the state’s 28 districts, was unconstitutional because it was designed to allow minorities to have a voice in the House of Representatives, the state argued.
Can’t have that.
The new map, while indisputably partisan, was, in Hawkes’ mind, the lesser evil.
The clock is ticking. Candidates for Congress can begin filing their qualifying paperwork in just a few days with a final deadline of June 12. So, time is running short for an appeal, which the plaintiffs say is coming.
“Because Floridians of all political backgrounds are so clearly against partisan gerrymandering, we will exhaust all legal options to make sure a map this partisan does not last the rest of this decade,” Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
Even if we are stuck with these new districts because the clock runs out, there’s hope this could backfire on Republicans—here in Florida and elsewhere.
As House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries noted:
“If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummymander, the Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans, who are on the run right now ... The Republicans are dummymandering their way into the minority before a single vote is cast.”
Meaning that DeSantis, in his zealousness, may have sufficiently weakened what were once Republican strongholds during his map-making to the point they are no longer assured of victory.
Nice thought.
Meanwhile, don’t strain your eyes trying to find those blue dots on the map.
Resources:
Legislature reconvenes and aims to gut Democrats’ representation in Congress
Thanks for your support
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog.
Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.
J.C. Bruce
Share Tropic Press!
As this newsletter was written, Tropic Press was reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere. But there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.
That’s a problem you can help solve.
With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort by sharing this newsletter with friends.
If you are reading this as an email, simply forward it. Or you can use the link below. Thanks.
Today’s sponsor
Today’s report is brought to you by Tropic Press Books, home of The Strange Files. The six-book series makes the perfect gift for the mystery fans in your life. You can find more information about these hilarious stories here.