Democrat Emily Gregory won a special election for Florida’s 87th state House district, flipping the seat from Republican control despite an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. The victory is part of a broader trend of Democratic gains in state legislative special elections during Trump’s second term, with the Florida 87th District being the 10th GOP-held seat flipped by Democrats nationwide since last year. Democrats attribute their success to economic concerns and shifting voter sentiment, while Republicans face challenges ahead of the midterms.
Posts tagged as “the Florida Legislature”
A federal judge in Iowa has issued a preliminary injunction to temporarily block key parts of a law banning books from school libraries and forbidding teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues. The injunction was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, arguing that the law was unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment. The injunction will remain in effect until the court can hear the case in full, with the ACLU of Iowa optimistic that the law will ultimately be struck down.
Georgia Legislature has passed a new congressional redistricting plan, which dismantles Rep. Lucy McBath's (D-GA) seat to create a new court-ordered Black-majority district. The plan was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature on Thursday, but has been met with criticism from McBath's campaign manager. The new map will almost certainly be challenged in court, with the outcome of the challenge uncertain.
The case challenges South Carolina's congressional district map adopted in 2022, which was brought by Black South Carolinians alleging that the state is diluting Black voters’ power. A three-judge federal district court panel found that the map had “bleached … African American voters out of the district”. The Supreme Court will decide whether the process was illegal racial discrimination or simply partisan politics.
Key takeaways: Pennsylvania Democrats will retain their one-vote majority in the state House of Representatives. The special election was held to fill the seat left…
Wisconsin Republicans have announced a plan to address the controversy surrounding the 2011 gerrymander, including the potential impeachment of newly elected Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has created a panel of three former Wisconsin Supreme Court justices to investigate impeachment criteria, and Governor Tony Evers has spoken out against the plan, calling it an attempt to "circumvent the will of the people". The panel is expected to make a recommendation to the Assembly, though it is unclear when action will be taken.
A federal panel of judges has announced that they will be drafting new congressional lines for Alabama after the state's Republican-controlled Legislature refused to create a second district where Black voters would make up a majority of the population. The panel has blocked the use of the state's newly drawn congressional map in next year's elections and appointed a special master to draw new districts for the state. The decision has been met with mixed reactions from Alabama residents, and the judges have not yet announced a timeline for when the new districts will be completed.
Alabama lawmakers have passed a new map with one majority-Black congressional district and a second district that is approximately 40% Black, in response to a Supreme Court order to give minority voters a greater voice in elections. Civil rights groups have argued that the new map does not go far enough to ensure that minority voters have an equal voice, and the map could still face legal challenges. The new map could also have an impact on the 2022 congressional elections, as the boundaries could shift the balance of power in the state.