Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
— First Shot —
The Legislature approved a new congressional map on Wednesday as a long-awaited ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court triggered seismic shifts in federal and state election laws nationwide.
The DeSantis-backed map, authored by his office, could hand Republicans up to four additional U.S. House seats, growing the GOP’s 20-8 edge in the state’s congressional delegation to 24-4.
The House moved it with barely a word. The Senate at least went through the motions of debate, and while the outcome was never seriously in doubt, three Republican Senators — Jenn Bradley, Alexis Calatayud and Ileana Garcia — joined the chamber’s 14 Democrats in voting no.
Some lawmakers said during floor debate that the SCOTUS decision made them more comfortable sending the map to DeSantis.
The decision in Louisiana v. Callais — the case that predicated DeSantis’ call for a Special Session to begin with — rewrote the rules that had long required states to guarantee minority voters a modicum of agency in who represents them.
DeSantis immediately seized on the ruling.
“Called this one months ago. The decision implicates a district in FL — the legal infirmities of which have been corrected in the newly-drawn (and soon to be enacted) map,” the Governor posted on X. In a separate post, he reiterated his argument that provisions in the state’s Fair Districts Amendment aren’t severable and that the entire amendment, backed by 63% of voters in 2010, is invalid.
The Florida Supreme Court — predominantly composed of DeSantis appointees — already signaled agreement when it upheld the congressional map his office produced ahead of the 2022 Elections. The court ruled challengers failed to prove discrimination and, even if they had, that federal Equal Protection concerns override Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment when the two conflict.
So, by the time the Legislature took its vote, concerns over whether the map might violate Fair Districts had been supplanted with questions about whether the amendment is even valid.
Republicans leaned into that shift, arguing that Florida is redder now, and thus its maps should be, too. Even when the mapmaker acknowledged using partisan data, the assumption was clear: the courts are unlikely to care.
Meanwhile, what ground Democrats have left to argue on is eroding under their feet. They insisted the Voting Rights Act remains intact, that state constitutional protections still apply, and that minority voting power is being diluted. But those arguments increasingly depend on interpretations that the courts signaled they’re willing to move past.
— Evening Reads —
—”Legislature passes Ron DeSantis’ Republican-friendly congressional map” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—”What the Supreme Court just did to Louisiana — and why it matters *far* beyond the state” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”DeSantis argues LA v. Callais ruling nullifies Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments” via Liv Caputo of the Florida Phoenix
—”Florida isn’t a swing state anymore, and DeSantis’ new map knows it” via Henry Olsen of The Washington Post
—”The Voting Rights Act is all but dead. Prepare for maximum gerrymandering.” via Ian Millhiser of Vox
—”Why is there a Voting Rights Act? A timeline” via Audra D. S. BurchEmily Cochrane and Jamie Leventhal of The New York Times
—”How much can Donald Trump screw with the Midterms?” via Eli McKown-Dawson of the Silver Bulletin
—”‘The damage is massive’: How the Justice Department dismantled its voting rights section” via David Gilbert of WIRED
—”Supreme Court weighs whether Trump can end Haitian TPS. South Florida is watching” via Syra Ortiz Blanes and Verónixa Egui Brito of the Miami Herald
—”FIFA could make billions from the World Cup. Host cities will get little in return.” via Dylan McGuinness of ProPublica
— Quote of the Day —
“When we all took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the State of Florida, there was no fine print that said, except for parts we don’t like.”
— Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson, ahead of the Senate’s vote to approve Ron DeSantis’ map.
— Put it on the Tab —
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Grab some Blood Oranges and stir up a Garibaldi, because Florida’s delegation is about to get even redder.
Track down some sotol, because DeSantis needs a few Sotold Ya Sos for calling SCOTUS’ ruling “months ago.”
While you’re at it, send a half-dozen Perfect Timings to SCOTUS for releasing their Louisiana v. Callais decision alongside Florida’s redistricting vote.
— Breakthrough Insights —
— Tune In —
Lightning back on home ice for Game 5
The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens in a pivotal fifth game of the first round Stanley Cup playoff series (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
With the series tied at two games each, Tampa Bay will try to take advantage of home ice advantage after splitting a pair of games in Montreal. It has been a tight series with all four games decided by a single goal. The Canadiens opened the series with a 4-3 win in Tampa. The Lightning responded with a 3-2 win, sending the series to Canada tied at a game each. In Montreal, the same pattern emerged with the Canadiens taking Game 3 and the Lightning responding with a Game 4 victory. Each of the last three games of the series has been 3-2 finals.
How important is Game 5? In NHL playoff history, when a best-of-seven series is tied at two games each, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series nearly 80% of the time. Both organizations’ histories have followed the trend. When Montreal has won Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead, the Canadiens have won the series 20 of 23 times. In seven previous series, the Lightning have won five times when taking Game 5 to go up 3-2.
Game 6 of the series is scheduled for Friday in Montreal. Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Sunday in Tampa.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
