Virginia congressional map vote could embolden Florida Republicans to push for boundary changes, says Jeffries – US politics live | US politics
Jeffries says Virginia convention map vote could embolden Florida Republicans to push for boundary changes
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The House Democratic leader said the vote to approve new congressional maps in Virginia could embolden Florida’s Republican-controlled state legislature to consider tit-for-tat changes to its own map.
Voters in Virginia on Tuesday approved new congressional maps aimed at boosting Democrats’ chances of taking back the House of Representatives, the latest blow to Donald Trump’s mid-decade effort to use redistricting to maintain control of Congress.
Republican governor Ron DeSantis has called for a special session starting next month to consider changes in Florida; That means the GOP could pick up three more seats, depending on how the legislature draws the lines.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday’s result in Virginia should be a wake-up call for DeSantis. In a statement he wrote:
If Florida Republicans continue to pursue this illegal plan, they will only create more primary election opportunities for Democrats.
We are ready to face them all and win.
The redistricting battle began last year, in part, after Trump pressured Texas’ Republican-controlled legislature to redraw the state’s congressional maps in an effort to unseat five House Democratic lawmakers in November’s midterm elections.
Voters in California retaliated by approving new maps that could flip five Republican-held seats, and in Virginia, newly elected Democratic governor Abigail Spanberger backed an effort to redraw her state’s maps after taking office in January. Tuesday’s referendum could help Democrats win four more seats in the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections.
According to the new maps, Democrats are now expected to win in 10 of Virginia’s 11 districts. In the current delegation, Democrats hold six seats and Republicans hold five.
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David Smith
He can’t live with it and he can’t live without it. But finally, it looks like conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson has made up his mind about Donald Trump. Their marriage, which has its ups and downs based on political interests, is heading to divorce court.
On Tuesday, Carlson admitted he will be “tormented” for a long time over his support for Trump in the 2024 US presidential election “and I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people.” What he didn’t say was whether this was a precursor to a presidential run in 2028.
The turning point was the war in Iran, Trump’s betrayal of his promise to end US foreign entanglements, and the perceived influence of Israel, which became Carlson’s obsession.
This was the final and perhaps final turning point in a long and painful relationship. In 1999, when Trump was a candidate for the Reform Party, Carlson said he was “the single most unattractive person on the planet.” Reportedly in 2016 I told a friend of mine The Republican leader turned out to be “not evil” but “mentally ill.”
Maya Yang
Nearly half of children in the United States are breathing dangerous levels of air pollution, according to a new report. Experts have warned that Donald Trump’s sweeping rollback of protection measures would make the situation worse.
The American Lung Association’s (ALA) 27th annual air quality report, released Wednesday, assesses pollution across the country by rating year-round and short-term increases in ground-level ozone levels, also known as smog, as well as particle pollution, often called soot. The report analyzed quality-assured data collected between 2022 and 2024.
It was revealed that 33.5 million children in the US (46% of those under the age of 18) live in areas that received a failing grade on at least one air pollution measure.
The report also found that 7 million children, or 10% of all children in the United States, live in communities that fail to meet all three measures.
Will Barrett, vice president of Nationwide Clean Air Policy at the ALA, told the Guardian: “Children’s lungs are still developing. They breathe in more air for their body size. And children are playing outdoors, they are more active, they are breathing more outdoor air… So exposure to air pollution in children can contribute to long-term developmental damage to their lungs, new cases of asthma, increased risk of respiratory diseases and other health problems later in life.”
Chris Stein
Polls showed a close race in the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s vote; There were signs that right-leaning voters in rural Virginia were angered by the new maps, which would see many of them represented by lawmakers living in the state’s northern suburbs outside Washington, D.C.
Polls also showed voters were divided on Spanberger’s performance as governor; Republicans accused him of lying about his moderate credentials on the campaign trail and then quickly turning left as governor, including supporting the referendum.
The race has seen heavy spending by Democratic-affiliated groups and other groups, which funneled more than $64 million to the main committee supporting the referendum. Groups opposing redistricting brought in nearly $30 million.
While Barack Obama has recorded television ads in favor of a yes vote, opponents have aired their own ads focusing on his past comments criticizing gerrymandering. Republican Glenn Youngkin, who served as governor before Spanberger, campaigned heavily for a no vote.
Obama celebrated the result Tuesday evening.
“Congratulations, Virginia!” the former US president shared on social media. “Republicans are trying to turn the midterm elections to their advantage, but they haven’t done it yet. Thank you for showing us what it looks like to fight and defend our democracy.”
Jeffries says Virginia convention map vote could embolden Florida Republicans to push for boundary changes
Hello, welcome to the live blog of US politics.
The House Democratic leader said the vote to approve new congressional maps in Virginia could embolden Florida’s Republican-controlled state legislature to consider tit-for-tat changes to its own map.
Voters in Virginia on Tuesday approved new congressional maps aimed at boosting Democrats’ chances of taking back the House of Representatives, the latest blow to Donald Trump’s mid-decade effort to use redistricting to maintain control of Congress.
Republican governor Ron DeSantis has called for a special session starting next month to consider changes in Florida; That means the GOP could pick up three more seats, depending on how the legislature draws the lines.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday’s result in Virginia should be a wake-up call for DeSantis. In a statement he wrote:
If Florida Republicans continue to pursue this illegal plan, they will only create more primary election opportunities for Democrats.
We are ready to face them all and win.
The redistricting battle began last year, in part, after Trump pressured Texas’ Republican-controlled legislature to redraw the state’s congressional maps in an effort to unseat five House Democratic lawmakers in November’s midterm elections.
Voters in California retaliated by approving new maps that could flip five Republican-held seats, and in Virginia, newly elected Democratic governor Abigail Spanberger backed an effort to redraw her state’s maps after taking office in January. Tuesday’s referendum could help Democrats win four more seats in the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections.
According to the new maps, Democrats are now expected to win in 10 of Virginia’s 11 districts. In the current delegation, Democrats hold six seats and Republicans hold five.
Read the full story here:
In other developments:
