Florida's redistricting fight puts Ron DeSantis back in the Republican spotlight

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Ron DeSantis was once the future of the Republican Party, a battle-tested conservative twice elected as governor of Florida. Then Donald Trump steamrolled him on his way back to the White House.

Now, more than two years after DeSantis ended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump, the governor is returning to the national spotlight — at least for this week. He’s pushing state lawmakers to redraw Florida’s congressional map as part of a coast-to-coast redistricting battle ahead of November’s midterm elections. His proposal would make it easier for Republicans to win four more seats, equivalent to Democrats’ potential gains from last week’s referendum in Virginia.

With DeSantis’ second term coming to a close, the special legislative session that starts Tuesday is one of his final opportunities to remind Republicans that he could lead the party one day. But there are also plenty of risks ahead for the 47-year-old governor.

https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-donald-trump-florida-gerrymandering-redistricting-5c25d674a8ad90b268c4794dda5e099f