House Editor David Wasserman writes: Florida's initial GOP-drawn map is sure to draw a fierce legal challenge from Democrats and backers of the "Fair Districts" amendments, and that's why we have yet to add ratings for the proposed districts into our database. But the map's release set off a quick chain reaction of candidate chess moves that have benefited the NRCC's goal of protecting as many Republican incumbents as possible. If anything like the legislature's map holds, Republicans would have a decent chance of protecting all 19 of their current seats, and they might even have glimmers of hope in each of two new districts.
Remember how Florida's new "Fair Districts" ballot amendments required the Sunshine State's legislature to draw compact lines without regard to political data or the residences of incumbents? Fast forward to this week and it's no wonder the ruling GOP's not-so-hidden strategy infuriates Democrats. Publicly, Republicans brag that their map is a huge aesthetic improvement over the current eyesore, and it is. Privately, however, GOP strategists also boast that they drew the map to be as
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.