Florida Republicans are commemorating that a judge recently declined to temporarily block a new congressional map approved for the state, which could give Republicans as many as four additional seats in the midterm elections. The decision was celebrated by Governor Ron DeSantis, as well as many Florida Republicans, who saw the previous map as illegal under the Voting Rights Act.
As previously reported, multiple Florida locals and civil rights groups criticized the decision. According to the civil rights groups that sued the state, the new map violates the Fair Districts amendments passed in 2010, which prohibited partisan gerrymandering in Florida.
Republicans Cheer With Expectations to Gain Up to 4 Seats
Reactions on X were largely positive regarding the change. As put by one user, “Florida wins. The new, more compact and race-free maps survive.”
Multiple people argued that the map looked much better than before: “That doesn’t look gerrymandered at all… no snake-like lines weaving around in different shapes to capture enough urban areas to cancel out the rural vote. This looks super sensible.” Another said, “I love how the comments are littered with variations of, ‘but you’re not supposed to play by the rules we made!’ I also love how a partisan exercise of power is a lesson in justice when executed by an American patriot. Well done, Governor.”
The new map drew some controversy, but someone argued that “it wasn’t blocked because it looks like a normal map, not like a giant squid with long tentacles.” One seemingly happy Republican voter summarised the situation: “Ron DeSantis wins again.”
While the positive reactions from Republicans could be widely seen on X, Democratic voters continued to complain on Reddit’s r/Florida. One of them lamented, “Democrats do something: Courts strike it down. Republicans do something: Court greenlights it.”
It remains to be seen whether the current map will continue to be used or be struck down by a higher court, as its detractors have appealed. But for some Floridians, the answer is already clear: “The man just knows how to get the right stuff done!”
