House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has issued a stark warning to Florida Republicans as the state prepares for its upcoming redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Jeffries stated that if Florida Republicans pursue what he described as a “DeSantis dummymander,” they would find themselves in the same predicament as Texas Republicans. He added, “The Republicans are ‘dummymandering’ their way into the minority before a single vote is cast because they started this war and we’re going to finish it.”
Jeffries’ remarks follow recent developments in Virginia, where voters approved a mid-decade redistricting referendum intended to allow Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections. However, a Virginia judge ruled the referendum unconstitutional and blocked certification.
The Democratic leader highlighted three recent Florida local elections won by Democrats in traditional Republican strongholds: the Miami mayor’s race (won by a Democrat for the first time since 1997), a state Senate seat in Tampa Bay, and a state House seat in the district encompassing Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s resort and residence.
Jeffries noted, “The electoral tide is turning in Florida.” He also observed that some GOP members of Florida’s House delegation have questioned the wisdom of redrawing the current map, which risks diluting Republican advantages in districts now considered strongholds.
“We agree,” Jeffries said. “But go ahead and make our day.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dismissed Jeffries’ comments with a characteristic quip: “Please, be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida and campaign. I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion. We’ll take you fishing.”
DeSantis added, “There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Hakeem Jeffries everywhere around this state.”
The standoff underscores both parties’ commitment to gerrymandering as a key strategy for securing control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms.
This trend follows President Donald Trump’s urging of state lawmakers to expand the GOP’s current majority by eliminating Democratic seats in Texas, prompting similar actions in states including North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, New York, and Georgia.
In Virginia, voters recently approved a redistricting effort led by Governor Abigail Spanberger to transform her party’s 6-5 congressional advantage into a 10-1 majority by extending Republican-leaning districts into Democratic strongholds. Florida is now developing its own plans, with Governor DeSantis convening a special session this week to explore redistricting options.
DeSantis announced: “Today, I will be convening a special session of the Legislature focused on redistricting to ensure that Florida’s congressional maps accurately reflect the population of our state.”
