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The Lincoln Project

Gerrymandering Gone Full Florida Man: Desantis Is Desperate

The Lincoln Project

The Lincoln Project

News, Government, Politics, News Commentary

4.69.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2026

⏱️ 20 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Florida’s redistricting mess isn’t just shady—it’s straight-up unconstitutional, and they did it anyway. This week’s Elephant in the Room: a map so aggressively gerrymandered it looks like it was drawn during a blackout with a Sharpie and a grudge. Rick breaks down how Florida’s leaders ignored their own state constitution, carved up districts to rig the game, and dared the courts to catch up. It’s a masterclass in political overreach, legal brinksmanship, and “rules for thee, not for me” governance. This isn’t just about Florida—it’s a warning shot for what happens when power decides.





Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

Transcript

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0:00.0

Your task will not be an easy one.

0:02.5

Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battlehardt.

0:06.2

There is not a liberal America and a conservative America.

0:09.9

There is the United States of America.

0:14.5

Good night and good luck.

0:17.0

Hey, folks, I want to talk to you for a minute about my home state of Florida.

0:21.1

And the elephant in the room this week in the great state of Florida is that Ron DeSantis is not as smart as he thinks he is.

0:31.6

So by now you've all heard, Ron DeSantis has pushed through the Florida legislature, a redistricting map that was created by his office, not traditionally as is done, created by the legislature or by outside parties, in order to try to take the map of the state of Florida with our 28 congressional seats and own all but four of them.

0:53.4

Florida House lawmakers just approved this new congressional map.

0:58.0

It is a move that could give Republicans more control in Congress.

1:01.4

It passed in the House.

1:03.0

The Republicans in the chamber made it clear that they had nothing to do with the production

1:07.5

of the map and we don't know how it was developed.

1:11.5

Adding to that drama today, a Supreme Court ruling on the maps came down in the middle of that

1:15.8

session, Justice Samuel Alito writing, the map is an unconstitutional gerrymander.

1:21.8

House members did not take a break, even though Democrats asked members to read it before that

1:26.4

vote was taken and consult lawyers to see how the ruling might affect the governor's plan,

1:31.1

but it moved forward after Republicans refused to do so. Many still believe they have legal ground here.

1:37.4

They want to take four seats from the Democrats, essentially.

1:40.2

Florida is a redder state that it has been.

1:42.4

The reality is, you know, we have thumped the Democrats in this state since I've been governor,

1:48.1

and we control the chambers and obviously the governors.

...

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