Democratic National Committee accuses Gov. DeSantis of seeking to ‘rig’ congressional map

Florida’s impending congressional reapportionment is riling up the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

DNC Chair Ken Martin is ripping Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying that he is caving to Washington Republicans by ordering a Special Session this April to redistrict Florida’s 28 seats in the U.S. House.

“Ron DeSantis is bending the knee to Washington Republicans once again by agreeing to rig Florida’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms. Republicans across the country are trying to rig the map because they know Trump’s Big Ugly Bill and his disastrous economic policies that are raising costs will cost them the election,” Martin said.

DeSantis said Wednesday that the Special Session, which he called for weeks after the end of the 2026 Regular Session, is intended to rectify a currently “malapportioned” map.

The timing is deliberate, DeSantis said, as he expects a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais to say that “racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional.”

In that context, he says Florida’s current map could be vulnerable to challenge given that some districts arguably had demographics in mind when they were enacted. He also believes that given in-migration to Florida since the completion of the 2020 Census, Florida’s map could be more Republican than the current 20-8 split.

Martin’s statement issued by the “DNC War Room” does not address DeSantis’ argument for a new map.

“In Florida alone, hundreds of thousands of families are about to be kicked off their health care, and millions more are seeing their insurance premiums skyrocket, all because of Donald Trump and Florida Republicans. While Republicans continue to choose Donald Trump and his billionaire donors over their own constituents, Democrats are fighting back,” Martin said.

Martin went on to say that Democrats are ready for a fight in the Midterm Elections.

“The DNC and Florida Democrats are all hands on deck to stop Trump’s power grab and protect Florida voters. Republicans wanted a showdown — and they’re going to get one.”

The advantage is with the GOP, at least when it comes to raw numbers.

As of the end of November, Florida had over 1.4 million more Republicans than Democrats.