In unusual move, Gov. DeSantis submits redistricting map
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a proposal to reshape the state's congressional map and carve up districts held by Black Democrats, as the Republican takes the unusual step of inserting himself into the redistricting process. The proposed congressional map, submitted Sunday on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, signaled the governor's priorities as the state moves to redraw political maps in the coming months. DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has largely shaped the legislative agenda in the Republican-controlled statehouse this year.
news.yahoo.comDemocrat to replace Hastings in vacant Florida US House seat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — (AP) — Health care CEO Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was elected to fill the seat of late Democratic Florida U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings on Tuesday, boosting the Democrats’ slim majority in the House. Hastings was the longest-serving member of the Florida delegation before he died in April of pancreatic cancer. Reclaiming Hastings’ seat will increase the Democrats’ slender House majority to 222-212, leaving room for no more than four Democratic defections as Speaker Nancy Pelosi tries moving her party’s bills through the House. She will have to immediately defend the seat in an August primary and, if she wins, the November general election. The law implementing the amendment said that all court fees, fines and restitution must be paid before voting rights are restored.
wftv.comOhio, Florida voters cast ballots in 3 congressional races
Election 2021 Congress Ohio FILE—In this file photo from Aug. 9, 2021, Mike Carey, Republican candidate for the 15th Congressional District of Ohio, talks to supporters before a Republican club meeting in Powell, Ohio. Biden endorsed two-term Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo on Monday. A second special congressional election is taking place in the Cleveland-area 11th Congressional District. One of the candidates is state Rep. Omari Hardy, who was 3 years old when Hastings was elected in 1992. While two Republican candidates are also seeking the nomination to run for the 20th Congressional District seat, the district is heavily Democratic.
wftv.comDeSantis schedules special election to replace Alcee Hastings for January
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Tuesday that a special election to replace Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died in April, will be held in January. Why it matters: "Democrats urged DeSantis to fill the seat quickly — arguing that leaving a majority Black and heavily Democratic seat in Broward and Palm Beach counties unoccupied for months deprives thousands of Floridians of representation," the Miami Herald noted. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe big picture: DeSantis announced that a primary election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021, followed by a general election on January 11, 2022. What he's saying: "I know there will be a lot of folks who want to run for it so hopefully that gives them enough time to get on the ballot and do what they need to do to be competitive,” DeSantis said.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
news.yahoo.comPelosi likely speaker again, but might require high-wire act
WASHINGTON – There's little doubt that Nancy Pelosi will be reelected House speaker when the new Congress convenes Sunday. It could take a high-wire act for her to get there, largely thanks to the pandemic. “Yeah, I do,” Pelosi told a reporter this week when asked if she had the votes wrapped up. Miller-Meeks is certain to vote against Pelosi to be speaker. “It’s extraordinarily tricky” for Pelosi, said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., an 18-year congressional veteran.
Nancy Pelosi likely speaker again, but might require high-wire act
WASHINGTON – There's little doubt that Nancy Pelosi will be reelected House speaker when the new Congress convenes Sunday. It could take a high-wire act for her to get there, largely thanks to the pandemic. “Yeah, I do,” Pelosi told a reporter this week when asked if she had the votes wrapped up. Miller-Meeks is certain to vote against Pelosi to be speaker. “It’s extraordinarily tricky” for Pelosi, said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., an 18-year congressional veteran.
Trump wins Florida; voters raise minimum wage to $15
— District 3: Republican Kat Cammack has won Florida’s U.S. House seat held by her former boss, retiring Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho. He defeated Democrat Donna Deegan, a former television news anchor who has worked to raise money for breast cancer research and to help patients. — District 15: Republican Scott Franklin has won Florida Rep. Ross Spano’s seat in the U.S. House. Deutch was first elected in 2010 and represents a firmly Democratic district that includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties. A supermajority of Florida voters approved the amendment to the Florida Constitution that will raise Florida’s minimum wage from the current $8.56 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026.