The Republican Party had a great opportunity in 2022 to update the congressional maps to accurately reflect the electorate, giving the party several extra opportunities to pick up seats in the November mid-term elections.
Instead, in some of the conservative majority states, the legislatures and governors are allowing feedback from the democrats and seem to be acquiescing to their requests of letting some districts, which could have gone to either party, stay with democrats instead of giving the GOP voters the fruit of their labor for turning out in huge numbers.
In Florida, you have a divided GOP.
The Florida House of Representatives approved a pair of maps that redraw the state’s congressional districts, even though Gov. Ron DeSantis has made his opposition to them clear, without enough of a majority to override the governor’s veto pen.
The House passed two redistricting maps with a 67-47 vote Friday.
Seven Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the maps.
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) March 4, 2022
Then the Florida Senate, after a short debate, passed the new maps along party line — 24-15.
BREAKING: FLORIDA SENATE LED BY RINO @WiltonSimpson JUST PASSED A PRO-DEMOCRAT GERRYMANDERED CONGRESSIONAL MAP WITH ‘VERY SERIOUS’ LEGAL ISSUES—THE BILL IS NOW HEADED TO @GovRonDeSantis DESK—WHO HAS PLEDGED TO VETO THE BILL
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) March 4, 2022
“I know there is pressure,” said State Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, who chaired the Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee. “But for what it’s worth, with all my heart, I believe what we’re doing is right.”
On Friday, establishment Republican House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R) with the House body conveyed a subpar map to the Florida Senate. Hours later, establishment Senate President Wilton Simpson (R) approved the map and sent it to DeSantis for his signature.
At issue is whether the Congressional maps accurately follow constitutional requirements.
Currently, Florida’s Congressional map includes a U.S. House district, Congressional District 5, that stretches from Jacksonville to Tallahassee and is considered a majority Black district.
Democrats and critics say the map dilutes minority representation.
That map leaves Congressional District 5 as is, a key criticism of DeSantis’, who says the district is not compact enough. DeSantis has made clear all along that he and his lawyers believe all of the maps are constitutionally problematic, particularly Congressional District 5, and has vowed to veto any map with those problematic districts.
As the House debated the maps, he tweeted Friday morning to reaffirm that veto threat:
I will veto the congressional reapportionment plan currently being debated by the House. DOA.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 4, 2022
In case that wasn’t clear enough, DeSantis said he wasn’t bluffing when he was asked about the tweet during a news conference in Jacksonville.
“What makes you think, after seeing me for however many years, what makes you think when I say I’m going to do something that I’m not going to follow through?” DeSantis said. “I mean, I don’t say, I mean, it’s just the reality. I don’t make declarations lightly.”
Democrats read DeSantis’ tweet on the floor of the Florida House during the debate, implying that they may have been more willing to vote for an alternative version of the map — one that could have avoided DeSantis’ veto.
“The Florida House of Representatives just got played,” said State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando. “We had maps that looked a lot better than what we’re seeing today. And we scrapped all of that to satisfy the whims of our governor.”
Well, hopefully DeSantis is able to get his maps into law, turning away the weak “nice guy” GOP leadership in the Florida legislature.
The actions of Republican House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R) and Senate President Wilton Simpson (R) are the reason why they both need to be primaried and replaced in the next election.
The democratic party took its political gloves off a long time ago, which is the weak GOP politicians look “punch drunk” all the time.
By: Eric Thompson, editor of Eric Thompson Show.
This story syndicated with permission from Eric Thompson, Author at Trending Politics
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