As soon as the yes votes had been called the winner last night in the narrow passing of a referendum that is expected to give Democrats a four-seat gain in Virginia's U.S. House delegation, the nation's political eyes shifted to Florida as the next battleground state in what are increasingly called "redistricting wars."
With the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature scheduled to meet April 28 to redraw the Sunshine State's 28 U.S. House districts, signs are strong that a new map will have a negative impact on the eight seats now in Democrats' hands.
Though Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has offered no clue as to what the map will look like, it is sure to cost Democrats at least one House seat.
An early attack on what DeSantis and the legislators might do in Florida came Wednesday morning from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
In a statement released to Punchbowl News, Jeffries warned that "if Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime pick-up opportunities for Democrats, just as they did with Trump's dummymander in Texas."
In drawing the line in the proverbial sand, Jeffries named Florida GOP lawmakers that he and his party would "aggressively target for defeat": Kat Cammack, Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez, Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna, Brian Mast, Cory Mills, and Maria Elvira Salazar.
(Mills is the target of an Ethics Committee investigation and may be persuaded to resign rather than face possible expulsion by the full House.)
Since last summer, seven states have adopted new lines for their congressional districts: California (likely gain of five seats for Democrats), Missouri (likely gain of one for Republicans), North Carolina (one for Republicans), Ohio (two for Republicans), Texas (five for Republicans), Utah (one for Democrats), and now Virginia (four for Democrats).
Barring any successful court challenges, that means an overall net gain of one seat for Republicans.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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