GOP misfire clears path for major midterm ‘surprises’ in deep-red state: Dem leader

Several cracks in President Donald Trump’s mid-decade redistricting blitz have revealed themselves in recent months, though one in particular could result in major midterm “surprises” in a deep-red state, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Punchbowl News.

Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts and hoped to grow that number to 24 under the new map state leaders adopted earlier this year. But three of the four districts redrawn to bolster the GOP’s House majority remain competitive — and two existing Republican-held districts were made more competitive in the process.

“The state where we’re most likely to see surprises, in my view, is Florida, where the ‘DeSantis dummymander’ failed,” Jeffries told Punchbowl News for its report published Monday.

Jeffries was not alone in his view that Democrats could score upset victories in the Sunshine State. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who controversially swapped districts following the mid-decade redistricting, previously told Axios that there was “no question” Democrats could maintain some of the four seats Republicans targeted with their new congressional district map.

Republican strategist Karl Rove predicted that Republicans “may lose a seat or two” due to the redistricting effort, and Bloomberg opinion columnist Mary Ellen Klas argued that Republicans were “tempting fate” with their new map.

As noted by Punchbowl News’ John Bresnahan, however, Republicans could still ultimately come out on top in Florida.

“Yet not every Florida Democrat is safe. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) faces a tough race, and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) is in a toss-up,” Bresnahan wrote.

“But Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) looks increasingly likely to win. Democrat Pia Dandiya has put the 22nd District in play, and Democratic challengers are making life hard for GOP Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and María Elvira Salazar.”