Florida could be next big target for GOP redistricting before 2026 elections

Politics Florida could be next big target for Republican redistricting before 2026 elections By Aaron Navarro Aaron Navarro Digital Reporter Aaron Navarro is a CBS News digital reporter. He covered the 2024 elections and was previously an associate producer for the CBS News political unit in the 2021 and 2022 election cycles. Read Full Bio Aaron Navarro August 26, 2025 / 6:14 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Florida could be the next big target for Republicans to redraw their congressional lines to their advantage, with plans in the works to potentially target three to five House seats currently held by Democrats before the 2026 midterm elections. The state already has a highly gerrymandered map that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through in 2022, which led to a congressional delegation of 20 Republicans and eight Democrats.A more aggressive gerrymander in Florida would launch another salvo in the political battle that has most recently seen GOP-controlled Texas and the Democratic-controlled California fight to enact new political maps. Currently, Democrats would need to win just three GOP seats in the House to claim control of the lower chamber. President Trump, whose administration has pushed Texas to redistrict, has encouraged three other GOP-controlled states —  Indiana, Missouri and Florida — to redraw their congressional lines. "With California moving forward with their maps, there'll be even more pressure to do that," said one Florida GOP operative, who spoke anonymously to discuss conversations among state lawmakers. "I do think Washington's going to look at Florida and be like, 'All right guys, you gotta fix this.'" In early August, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez took a first step and announced the creation of a select committee on congressional redistricting. Perez said that was prompted by a July Florida Supreme Court decision that upheld the state's current gerrymander and rejected a legal challenge over...