Florida lawmakers pass a voting map that could help Republicans flip four House seats

Politics Florida lawmakers pass a voting map that could help Republicans flip four House seats April 29, 20263:05 PM ET By  Tristan Wood A senator's laptop displays a Congressional Redistricting Plan during debate before its passage in the Florida Senate. Mike Stewart/AP hide caption toggle caption Mike Stewart/AP TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida lawmakers have approved a new Congressional map that could position Republicans to win four additional U.S. House seats in the midterm elections in November. The 21 to 17 vote for final passage in the Senate came just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in a decision on a Louisiana congressional district Wednesday morning. Both developments will assist President Trump's national push to help the GOP in the midterm elections. With the Florida redistricting, the GOP likely gains an advantage of two or three new seats as Republican-led states have followed Trump's call and Democratic-led states have countered it. Sponsor Message Elections With Virginia vote, Democrats gain edge over Trump's national GOP redistricting push However, control of the House will depend on the votes in November. Democrats have said the redraw in Florida makes several GOP seats more competitive, potentially leading to smaller seat gains if strong Democratic performances seen in recent special elections continue. The bill now goes for expected signing by Gov. Ron DeSantis. He has argued that the state's rapid population growth requires redistricting. And he's urged the redrawing of districts that were drawn with consideration for preserving the voting power of minority communities. He had predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court would weaken the Voting Rights Act in a way that would support redistricting in Florida. Indeed, after that morning ruling, he posted on X that the it "invalidates" a Florida constitutional ban on districts that deny "the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the politic...