Former Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum is back behind bars after failing a drug test just one month after his arrest in Alabama on drug charges, the latest legal setback for the one-time Democratic star who narrowly lost to Republican Ron DeSantis in the 2018 race for the governor’s mansion.
The 47-year-old former Tallahassee mayor was booked again Thursday into the Baldwin County jail in Alabama, according to jail records reported by Pensacola ABC affiliate <a href="https://weartv.com/news/local/former-tallahassee-mayor-gillum-arrested-on-drug-charge-again">WEAR-TV</a>. A judge revoked Gillum’s bond after he reportedly skipped a drug test and later tested positive for methamphetamine. 
Gillum’s return to custody resulted from a random screening program known as “color code drug testing,” <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/08/07/andrew-gillum-ordered-to-return-to-jail-after-allegedly-testing-positive-for-methamphetamine/">according to TMZ</a>. Under the court-ordered program, Gillum is assigned a color and required to call a hotline each day. If his color is announced, he must report for a drug test that day.
Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney John Oxford told TMZ that Gillum failed to appear for a court-ordered drug test after his assigned color was called. He was later tested during a court appearance on Thursday, and the test came back positive, according to TMZ.
The failed test adds to the stunning fall for a politician who, just eight years ago, appeared destined for a bright future in Sunshine State politics. Gillum upset the Democratic establishment to win the 2018 gubernatorial nomination but ultimately fell short in the race against DeSantis by roughly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/06/us/elections/results-florida-elections.html">32,000 votes.</a> 
Rather than becoming the face of a Democratic comeback in Florida, Gillum became engulfed in personal scandals, ethics investigations, and criminal proceedings, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-dem-golden-boy-arrested-again-just-three-years-after-he-was-let-off-the-hook">The Daily Wire</a> has reported. 
<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article249009610.html">In 2020</a>, Miami Beach police found Gillum intoxicated inside a South Beach hotel room after a third man called 911 over concerns that Travis Dyson, a male escort also in the room, had overdosed. Officers recovered suspected methamphetamine and prescription pill bottles, though prosecutors ultimately declined to file charges because they could not establish ownership of the drugs.
Gillum later entered rehabilitation, saying he had developed an alcohol dependency after his election defeat. “This has been a wake-up call for me,” Gillum said at the time. “Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse.”
Gillum’s legal troubles continued in 2022, when federal prosecutors <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/former-tallahassee-mayor-and-gubernatorial-candidate-and-associate-charged-conspiracy">accused</a> him of conspiracy, wire fraud, and making false statements as part of an alleged campaign finance scheme. A jury acquitted him of lying to federal agents in May 2023 and deadlocked on the remaining counts, and prosecutors dropped the case days later rather than retry him.
It remains unclear how the bond violation will affect Gillum&#8217;s pending drug case, in which he faces a felony possession charge stemming from the July traffic stop. His next court appearance is scheduled for August 13.
“This is really sad,” Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross <a href="https://x.com/AmeshiaCross/status/2085912674886369652?s=20">said</a>. “Addiction is an illness. He needs help. Not a podcast. Not a TV appearance. Clinical attention and support.”

Mayor Andrew Gillum Makes Major Announcement In Miami Gardens

Former Dem Golden Boy Back In Jail After Testing Positive For Meth

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A federal appeals court <a href="https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/202312160.enb.pdf">ruled</a> Tuesday that Florida can enforce its law banning children from attending sexually explicit live performances, delivering a significant win for the state&#8217;s effort to keep minors away from adult-themed drag shows.
“Huge victory for our team at the 11th Circuit! After 3 years of litigation, the full court affirmed the constitutionality of Florida’s ban on children attending sexualized drag shows,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier <a href="https://x.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2084668048112341393?s=20">said</a>.  
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed Florida&#8217;s Protection of Children Act into law in 2023. The measure makes it a misdemeanor to admit a child to an adult live performance featuring nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual acts, lewd conduct, or the lewd display of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.
The law became a national flashpoint in the conservative movement&#8217;s campaign to protect children. Supporters argued it protected them from sexually explicit entertainment, while opponents said it threatened constitutionally protected expression.
Central Florida-based Hamburger Mary&#8217;s, a restaurant chain known for hosting drag performances, sued to block the law, arguing it violated the First and 14th Amendments because its definitions were unconstitutionally vague and overly broad. The restaurant said the law would chill protected speech rather than target only obscene performances.
A federal district judge agreed and issued a statewide preliminary injunction preventing Florida from enforcing the law.
Florida appealed, and the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit vacated that decision on Tuesday with an 8-5 ruling, concluding that Hamburger Mary&#8217;s was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its constitutional claims. In the decision, a six-judge bloc also concluded the district court lacked authority to issue a statewide injunction, one vote short of a majority on that question.
“[T]he district court lacked authority to impose a universal injunction that prevented the enforcement of the Act against everyone in Florida,” Judge Andrew Brasher, a Trump appointee, wrote in the majority opinion reinstating the law. “Second, Hamburger Mary’s was not entitled to even a more limited preliminary injunction to prevent the enforcement of the Act because its claims do not have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits.”  
The court also rejected the argument that the law&#8217;s reference to the &#8220;age of the child present&#8221; made it unconstitutionally vague.
“There is no doubt the Act is rational. We will not second-guess the Florida Legislature’s decision to regulate obscenity,” the majority wrote. 
Hamburger Mary&#8217;s could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the ruling. The Daily Wire reached out to Hamburger Mary’s for comment. 
Tuesday’s decision marks a significant legal victory for DeSantis, whose administration has defended the law as part of its effort to shield children from sexually explicit material. 
“We are going to protect the innocence of our children,&#8221; DeSantis <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2084691717341462979?s=20">said</a>. &#8220;Why would it be problematic to say you can&#8217;t do this stuff that&#8217;s sexually explicit in front of minors?&#8221;
 “I want Florida to be family-friendly,&#8221; he added.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, holds a press conference to speak

Three-Year Culture War Fight Ends With Major Win For DeSantis

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Florida is set to become the first state in nearly a decade to conduct two executions in a single day on Tuesday as Gov. Ron DeSantis&#8217; administration continues to move on death penalty cases at an unprecedented rate.
James Aren Duckett, 68, is scheduled to die by lethal injection at noon at Florida State Prison near Starke, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-execution-duckett-occhicone-4c313a84631ad20a62998f7dd061dbcf">Associated Press.</a> Duckett, a former Mascotte police officer, was convicted of the <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/2026/sc2026-0449.html">1987 kidnapping, rape, and murder</a> of 11-year-old Teresa Mae McAbee. Prosecutors said he abducted the girl, sexually assaulted her, strangled her, and drowned her in a lake less than a mile from the store where she was last seen.
About six hours later, Florida plans to execute 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone, who would become the second-oldest inmate put to death in the modern era of the U.S. death penalty, according to the Associated Press. 
Occhicone was convicted of the <a href="https://acis-api.flcourts.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/4190fe57-e5c6-47b5-990f-773f93586035/docketentrydocuments/bc305c22-4efd-4801-9ab9-fd43568dd02a?utm_source=chatgpt.com">1986 murders</a> of his former girlfriend&#8217;s parents, Raymond and Martha Artzner, in Pasco County. Prosecutors said he returned to the family&#8217;s home armed with a handgun after his former girlfriend refused to speak with him, cut the home&#8217;s telephone lines, fatally shot Raymond Artzner outside the house, then forced his way inside and killed Martha Artzner.
The Florida Supreme Court earlier this week rejected emergency appeals from both Duckett and Occhicone. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court also <a href="https://x.com/KelseyReichmann/status/2082146169627578589?s=20">denied</a> their final appeals, clearing the way for the back-to-back executions. No justice noted a dissent.
With six months left in office, DeSantis has presided over a record 19 executions in 2025, the most by any Florida governor in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, according to an AP analysis. Tuesday&#8217;s two executions would raise the number of executions under DeSantis&#8217;s final two years in office to 31, with another scheduled for August.
“July 28 represents an unprecedented escalation of Florida’s use of the death penalty,” <a href="https://www.fadp.org/florida-set-to-execute-james-duckett-and-dominick-occhicone-tuesday-amidst-innocence-claim-and-7-5-jury-vote/">said</a> Grace Hanna, Executive Director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. “These are two profoundly different cases, but they point to the same troubling reality: Florida continues to expand the use of capital punishment, despite mounting evidence that it is not what Floridians want.&#8221;
The Florida Governor, however, is not alone. 
In April, President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice on Friday directed the Bureau of Prisons to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-commuted-death-sentences-trumps-doj-is-bringing-back-the-firing-squad?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Biden+Commuted+Death+Sentences.+Trump%E2%80%99s+DOJ+Is+Bringing+Back+The+Firing+Squad.">bring back the firing squad and lethal injection</a> for federal executions.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-takes-actions-strengthen-federal-death-penalty">announced a series of new measures</a> to strengthen enforcement of the federal death penalty, clearing the way for the DOJ to carry out executions once inmates exhaust their appeals.
“Among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration, expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases,” the Justice Department said in a press release.
The directives fulfill a campaign promise for Trump, who on his first day back in office <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-the-death-penalty-and-protecting-public-safety/">issued</a> an order to “pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use” and marks a reversal from the Biden administration’s handling of federal executions.
In 2021, former President Joe Biden&#8217;s DOJ imposed an indefinite moratorium, effectively blocking all federal executions. In December 2024, he commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 inmates on federal death row at the urging of then-Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Those granted mass clemency included Thomas Sanders, who was convicted of murdering <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-commutes-sentences-of-dozens-of-murderers-two-days-before-christmas">12-year-old Lexis Roberts</a> and hiding her body in the woods. Another included Daryl Lawrence, who killed 33-year-old Ohio police officer Bryan Hurst during a 2005 bank robbery in Columbus.
“These decisions inflicted untold damage on victims of crime and, ultimately, to the rule of law itself,” Blanche <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1437806/dl?inline">said</a>.

Lethal Injection Room at Huntsville

Red State Set To Carry Out Rare Double Executions On Same Day

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After President Joe Biden outraged millions of Christians by declaring Easter Sunday as the “Transgender Day of Visibility,” former Republican representative David Jolly stood by him. 
Jolly, now running for governor in Florida as a Democrat, did a media tour to defend Biden and lecture conservatives about their theology. Now, Democrats are running him to replace Ron DeSantis as governor of Florida as he attempts to sweep culture war issues under the rug. 
Many Democrats have been quiet on the transgender issues this election cycle after polling showed that the issue hampered Kamala Harris in 2024. Jolly was vocal about the topic during his post-Republican days, attacking his former party for passing laws banning transgender procedures on kids and keeping gender-confused boys off of girls&#8217; sports teams.
Jolly even vigorously defended Biden after he called in March 2024 for Americans on Easter Sunday to “join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation.” Biden’s decision prompted significant pushback from prominent Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson and the Trump campaign. Jolly said their politics and theology were wrong. 
“The Jesus they celebrate today would be inclusive of the transgender community, and would be supportive of the transgender community,” he said while <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaAJMq4_gdg">appearing</a> on MSNBC, adding that “all Christians, including Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, and others who celebrate today, that, in fact, they should love the transgender community as they love their own God. I am not sure the theology upon which they rely to criticize Joe Biden.”
“I think it&#8217;s wrong theologically, it&#8217;s wrong morally, and it&#8217;s absolutely stupid politically,” he added. 
In another appearance on the Stephanie Miller Happy Hour podcast, he said conservatives turned Biden’s proclamation into the latest “culture war” flash point. 
“First, theologically and doctrinally, I think the Right is wrong when it comes to biblical theology. I think they&#8217;re a long ways from what Jesus would do, the bracelets they used to wear,” he said. “ The reality is Jesus is a loving God who would support the trans community and be proud of their bravery and the struggle that they have gone through for recognition and equity.”
In other media appearances reviewed by The Daily Wire, Jolly attacked a law shielding kids from transgender procedures and claimed that kids would be ripped away from their parents if they obtained transgender medications from outside of Florida. 
“That&#8217;s the real consequence of this war on gender-affirming care and the trans community,” he said on the Joe Walsh <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0HXaFr8uaE">podcast</a>. “I don&#8217;t have a personal appreciation or understanding of what all that is like. But I know what it would feel like if the state stepped in and say, ‘Hey, Jolly, you&#8217;re not allowed to make decisions for your kid?’”
Jolly also said he was fine with biological boys competing on girls’ sports teams during an interview with radio host Charlie Sykes. 
“I think it&#8217;s been pretty disgusting what we&#8217;ve seen from Republicans in the past several years on this. Look, I don&#8217;t think we need to knock down that youth soccer player who is working with their family and their doctor on whatever their current, you know, crisis is personally,” he said. “I think it can be supportive of them to allow them to play in youth sports.”
Ultimately he said he thought that the case should be decided by the Supreme Court.
&#8220;I think some latitude among the sports leagues to make decisions, but ultimately, it&#8217;s a constitutional question that the courts are going to have to decide,&#8221; he said. 
Jolly, whose issues page on his website does not mention &#8220;transgender&#8221; or LGBTQ, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weY8ycv-6dc">recently predicted</a> that he would be criticized by Republicans for being pro-transgender.
The Democrat is expected to face off against Rep. Byron Donalds, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump. Donalds has a large lead against GOP rivals including <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/768484-woman-says-james-fishback-dated-her-while-she-was-underage-then-harassed-her-after-breakup/">James Fishback</a>, Lt. Governor Jay Collins, and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.

Key Speakers At National Action Network Convention

Dems’ ‘Ex-Republican’ Governor Hopeful Is A True Believer In Gender Radicalism

Byron Donalds

David Jolly

Transgender

A new Republican-backed bill that would grant amnesty to illegal immigrant agricultural workers is facing an onslaught of criticism from immigration hawks.
House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn &#8220;GT&#8221; Thompson (R-PA) recently introduced the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act to provide illegal immigrant farmworkers with a path to temporary legal status.
Gregory Bovino, who led the Trump administration&#8217;s aggressive deportation sweeps in Minneapolis and other major cities before his recent retirement from Border Patrol, <a href="https://x.com/GregoryKBovino/status/2079545595359092890">said</a> the Republican lawmakers backing the bill &#8220;just stabbed Trump’s deportation promise in the back.&#8221;
&#8220;They’re only gonna get the message one way. Vote every single one of them out in a massive wave, and replace them with real immigration hawks. Anything less, and they’ll never take us seriously,&#8221; Bovino wrote on X Tuesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump tells me he doesn&#8217;t know about Securing Agriculture&#8217;s Workforce Act of 2026, a bill that would allow illegals in farming, meat packing and lodging industries to gain legal status.
He says he will look into it. <a href="https://t.co/VJNiIujIhy">pic.twitter.com/VJNiIujIhy</a>
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) <a href="https://x.com/reaganreese_/status/2079595048665026660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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When asked about the bill Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he &#8220;didn&#8217;t know about it,&#8221; but would &#8220;take a look at it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I will fight AGAINST any amnesty proposal in Congress.
Illegal aliens BROKE our laws, and they MUST go home.
AMNESTY is betraying the trust of the American people. <a href="https://t.co/aJJwwD4h6U">pic.twitter.com/aJJwwD4h6U</a>
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) <a href="https://x.com/RepOgles/status/2080007704966209633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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In a recent Newsmax appearance, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) came out in opposition to the bill, saying it provides illegal immigrants with a &#8220;pathway to citizenship&#8221; without offering &#8220;comprehensive reform.&#8221;
&#8220;So we have a lot of work to do on immigration. Look, we know the immigration system is broken, that&#8217;s why I carry most of the legislation on immigration, fixing immigration. But as we have this conversation, there can be no amnesty as part of that conversation,&#8221; Ogles said.
&#8220;Look, if you want to get a work visa, that&#8217;s one thing, but you also have to understand that if you want to become a citizen, you need to go back to your country, and you need to apply the right way and you need to stand in line like everyone else,&#8221; he added.
Jeremy Beck, co-President of NumbersUSA, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/no-amnesty-calls-grow-over-bill-to-aid-immigrant-farm-workers-12223448">told</a> Newsweek that the bill is &#8220;an amnesty for employers engaged in illegal hiring,&#8221; adding that &#8220;It allows hundreds of thousands of illegal workers to stay as long as they indenture themselves to the agricultural industry.&#8221;
&#8220;Then the bill lowers workers&#8217; wages and deducts the cost of housing from their paychecks,&#8221; Beck said.
&#8220;No amnesty!&#8221; Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said in response to the bill. &#8220;Amnesty is NOT what people voted for in 2024!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No amnesty. <a href="https://t.co/rgghloBMux">https://t.co/rgghloBMux</a> <a href="https://t.co/wHEjV8s3fu">pic.twitter.com/wHEjV8s3fu</a>
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) <a href="https://x.com/freedomcaucus/status/2079297177097027977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The bill would meet the demands of farm industry giants, including by allowing farms to employ H-2A migrant farmworkers for year-round labor, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/22/no-amnesty-migrant-farmworker-bill-opens-major-rift-within-gop-01007072" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Politico.
“[The bill] does acknowledge that dairy farmers have never had a workable ag-labor visa program, and it provides a short-term mechanism that will avoid massive disruptions to its workforce, which would in turn devastate family farms, create supply chain disruptions, and increase consumer costs,” Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, said in a statement.
John Hollay, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, said the bill “follows through on President Trump’s promise from last Spring to protect American agriculture and seeks to codify a system that will ensure all of agriculture has access to a legal workforce when Americans won’t do the job,&#8221; according to Politico.
Thompson argues that the bill is needed to address a years-long farm &#8220;labor crisis.&#8221;
&#8220;They can&#8217;t get the help they need to harvest their crops and astronomical labor costs have pushed many lifelong farmers to the brink of bankruptcy,&#8221; Thompson <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/872828202078448">said</a>.
&#8220;This is happening because the very program that once kept farmers in business is sinking under the weight of bureaucratic costs. Without reform, the H-2A visa program may now be the reason these same farms cannot be passed on to the next generation,&#8221; he said.

Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson

New Republican Amnesty Bill Ignites Ire Of Immigration Hardliners

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is moving to impeach a judge for acquitting a mother who drowned her baby daughter. 
Judge Miguel de la O found 43-year-old Precious Bland not guilty on grounds of insanity, ruling that she was suffering from a “psychotic episode” caused by COVID-19. Bland reportedly drowned her 15-month-old daughter Emii in a bathtub after screaming, &#8220;Jesus Christ is coming, and COVID is going to kill us all,&#8221; and insisting that the children needed to be baptized. 
When Bland’s husband tried to intervene, she stabbed him several times with a knife. He escaped the scene with four of the couple’s children, but not before Bland stabbed their 16-year-old daughter in the forearm. 
Bland waived her right to a jury trial and was instead given a bench trial, which gives the judge absolute authority in handing down the verdict.
The defense argued that Bland was suffering from temporary insanity caused by COVID-19 and was unaware of what she was doing. The prosecution vigorously rejected this claim.
&#8220;She was verbalizing that the baby needed to stop breathing. So she was holding her down to make sure she stopped breathing,&#8221; a prosecutor said during opening statements. 
Despite using an insanity argument, Bland&#8217;s attorney Larry Handfield did not seek to have Bland institutionalized. He <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/bench-trial-begins-for-south-florida-mother-accused-of-drowning-toddler-defense-cites-covid-induced-psychosis/">argued</a> that her bout of insanity was entirely temporary and that institutionalization was unnecessary.
Uthmeier posted on social media that his office would be drafting articles of impeachment for the judge. &#8220;This was a bench trial. It’s time to impeach this judge,&#8221; Uthmeier wrote. &#8220;My office will be drafting articles of impeachment, and we look forward to working with all legislators who will support.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This was a bench trial. It’s time to impeach this judge.
My office will be drafting articles of impeachment, and we look forward to working with all legislators who will support. <a href="https://t.co/Pxj9P3fUzS">https://t.co/Pxj9P3fUzS</a>
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) <a href="https://x.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2070117331276112067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Republican Governor DeSantis <a href="https://x.com/RonDeSantis/status/2070132417482920332?s=20">expressed</a> his support for impeaching the judge and called on the Florida House &#8220;to do its duty.&#8221; 
Handfield argued that COVID-19 can cause paranoia and suicidal thoughts in some people. He <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/woman-found-not-guilty-after-claiming-covid-made-her-kill-daughter-and-stab-loved-ones/3825334/?amp=1">said</a> he believes this to be the first successful COVID-related insanity defense in the country. 
Judge de la O has yet to decide whether Bland will be institutionalized or require any further treatment.

Untitled design – 2026-06-25T112054.435

Judge In Hot Seat After COVID Insanity Claim Clears Mom Who Drowned Her Baby

Judge

In a massive victory for Florida Republicans, a Leon County circuit judge rejected a desperate, last-minute bid by Left-wing voting groups to block the state’s newly drawn congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes handed down the <a href="https://www.commoncause.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/248949428-Order.pdf">stinging defeat</a> on Tuesday, denying motions for a preliminary injunction filed by a coalition of liberal outfits — including Equal Ground, Common Cause Florida, the League of Women Voters of Florida, and LULAC. The activist groups had desperately clawed to sideline the map, complaining that the districts were &#8220;overtly partisan&#8221; and illegally engineered by Governor Ron DeSantis and the GOP-led Legislature to favor Republicans.
But Judge Hawkes wasn&#8217;t buying the partisan hysteria. In his ruling, Hawkes declared that the challengers utterly failed to meet the incredibly high legal bar required for the courts to intervene before a full trial. Despite the plaintiffs dumping mountains of paper onto the court — including a staggering 1,900 pages of evidence from Equal Ground alone — Hawkes concluded that they simply did not have the goods.
&#8220;The Court concludes that from this record, there is insufficient evidence of impermissible intent to show substantial likelihood of success on the merits,&#8221; Hawkes wrote.
The legal dogfight centered on Florida’s controversial &#8220;Fair Districts Amendments,&#8221; which ban drawing lines to favor a political party. Activists claimed the map&#8217;s sole architect, Jason Poreda, weaponized partisan data. However, the court found that those claims relied on weak inferences rather than direct proof. Furthermore, Hawkes noted that the map was drawn to fix unconstitutional, race-based lines in South Florida&#8217;s CD-20 — noting that federal equal protection guarantees override partisan complaints.
“Plaintiffs’ evidence focuses on challenging the constitutionality of the 2026 map, but does not sufficiently challenge the political branches’ finding that CD-20 in the 2022 map was drawn with impermissible racial intent,” Hawkes wrote.
Hawkes also threw real-world logistics on the activist groups, pointing out that the state’s election machinery is already revving its engines. With Florida&#8217;s primary less than three months away and the general election less than six months away, the judge ruled that changing the rules of the game now would inflict total chaos on voters.
Turning the state&#8217;s massive election apparatus around at this late hour, Hawkes argued, would be like trying to turn a battleship on a dime. He wrote:
<blockquote>
The election machinery of the state is already underway. Similar to the town election in Walker v. Best, it is more difficult for the much larger ship of statewide elections to change directions at this juncture. The primary is less than three months away, and the general less than six months. The public interest weighs more in favor of certainty than a haphazard judicial mandate of discarded maps.
</blockquote>
Defiant liberal groups vowed to drag out the fight, <a href="https://www.wptv.com/news/politics/leon-county-circuit-judge-lets-floridas-new-congressional-map-stand-for-2026-elections">threatening</a> to take their grievances as far as they can. But with the clock ticking and the 2026 election cycle locked in, the ruling ensures that DeSantis’ map stands — giving Sunshine State Republicans a major structural advantage as they look to dominate the upcoming midterms.
Florida&#8217;s congressional redistricting map could give the GOP an additional four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Judge Stops The Left’s Effort To Cause Redistricting Chaos In Republican State

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTJacT6zPq0

Redistricting

A newly approved Florida congressional map could eliminate up to four Democratic-held seats ahead of the November midterm elections, intensifying a nationwide redistricting fight.
Florida Republicans, who hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, passed the map on Wednesday <a href="https://x.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2049508175368315113?s=20">over loud liberal opposition</a>, sending it to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk. DeSantis is expected to sign the bill. 
The redrawn districts target Democratic seats in the Tampa, Orlando, and South Florida areas, aiming to flip them to Republican control. Democrats currently hold seven of Florida&#8217;s 28 districts. 
Under the plan, Florida Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, Jared Moskowitz, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz could face significantly tougher re-election fights. 
If enacted, the map would reflect the Sunshine State&#8217;s broader political shift in recent years. Once a swing state that backed Barack Obama twice, Florida has moved decisively to the Right, with Republicans now holding a roughly 1.5 million-voter registration advantage.
&#8220;Florida got shortchanged in the 2020 Census, and we’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ron-desantis-unveils-new-florida-congressional-map-would-give-gop-extra-four-seats">DeSantis told Fox News Digital</a>. &#8220;Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.&#8221;
The push to redraw Florida&#8217;s map coincides with a <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf">bombshell</a> Supreme Court ruling sharply limiting the use of race in congressional redistricting. 
In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down Louisiana&#8217;s map, which included two majority-black districts, as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito said the Constitution generally forbids race-based line drawing absent a compelling justification.
Wednesday’s ruling clears the way for other states with majority-minority districts to change course. New maps in states including Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee could net Republicans as many as 12 seats in Congress, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/upshot/supreme-court-voting-rights-gerrymander.html">according to a New York Times analysis. </a>
Democrats decried the decision as an attack on democracy, despite pursuing partisan gerrymandering in California and, more recently, Virginia. 
“Now we&#8217;re now at a point where affirmative action is gone, diversity is gone, equity gone, inclusion gone, racial tolerance gone, the Voting Rights Act largely gone, but guess what, extremists, we’re still here, and we’re not going anywhere,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said.
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Hakeem Jeffries: “We&#8217;re now at a point where affirmative action is gone, diversity is gone, equity is gone, inclusion is gone&#8230;” <a href="https://t.co/4b9Bm7KNwy">pic.twitter.com/4b9Bm7KNwy</a>
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/2049567900688605318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
Florida’s map is likely to face legal challenges. A provision in the state constitution effectively bars partisan gerrymandering, according to The New York Times. DeSantis has argued that recent court rulings from both the state and U.S. Supreme Court have laid the groundwork to uphold the maps.
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The SCOTUS ruling also invalidates the below provisions of the FL Constitution requiring the use of race in redistricting:
”…districts shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in… <a href="https://t.co/IqrLoWdO0L">https://t.co/IqrLoWdO0L</a>
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2049510607108358651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling did not address political gerrymandering. 
“So at least from a federal constitutional perspective, the federal constitution isn&#8217;t going to have anything to say about political gerrymanders,” Smith said in an interview with The Daily Wire. 
“That&#8217;s going to be left to the states and really depend on what each state&#8217;s laws in each state&#8217;s constitution says about how their state legislatures draw their legislative maps,” he added.

Florida Passes New Maps That Could Threaten Multiple Democratic Seats

The only thing thicker than Hakeem Jeffries’ hypocrisy is the smog of self-delusion that follows him into every room, choking the life out of the very truths he claims to uphold.
Last week, Jeffries, the House minority leader, was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkJG--0ScE0">practically doing a victory lap</a> in the end zone after Virginia Democrats pulled off the ultimate &#8220;Democracy™&#8221; maneuver: convincing 51.5% of voters to scrap an independent commission so the General Assembly could gerrymander a 10-1 split. To Jeffries, this wasn&#8217;t a power grab; it was a &#8220;big victory for America&#8221; and a &#8220;march toward a more perfect union.&#8221; Apparently, a &#8220;more perfect union&#8221; looks exactly like a map where half the voters get 90% of the representation.
Jeffries and the &#8220;Dollar-Store Obama&#8221; brigade framed this as a noble &#8220;firewall&#8221; against the orange man in the White House. Even Barack Obama emerged from his latest Netflix production to explain that gerrymandering is actually fine, as long as Democrats do it to &#8220;level the playing field.&#8221; It’s a bold strategy: saving democracy by destroying it first.
But fast forward to Monday, April 27, and Jeffries has suddenly rediscovered the sanctity of &#8220;Fair Districts.&#8221; The moment Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suggested that the Sunshine State—which has seen a decade of growth in just three years—might need its own mid-decade tune-up, Jeffries’s halo reappeared.
Jeffries took to X to huff and puff about &#8220;blatant partisan gerrymandering&#8221; and &#8220;nakedly targeting communities of color.&#8221; He actually wrote, &#8220;See you in Court,&#8221; without a hint of a blush, despite the fact that a Virginia judge just tossed his own party’s referendum into the trash for being unconstitutional.
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The DeSantis Dummymander blatantly violates Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment banning partisan gerrymandering.
It also violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by nakedly targeting communities of color. 
See you in Court. <a href="https://t.co/DeDqW84s7M">pic.twitter.com/DeDqW84s7M</a>
&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) <a href="https://twitter.com/hakeemjeffries/status/2048812217915642288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The hypocrisy is so thick you could carve it. When Virginia Democrats attempt a 10-1 sweep, it’s a &#8220;march toward justice.&#8221; When DeSantis looks at a map, it’s a &#8220;Dummymander&#8221; and a violation of the 14th Amendment. Jeffries has <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/2046984191716340211">told</a> Florida Republicans to &#8220;F around and find out,&#8221; which sounds a lot like a threat from a guy whose own &#8220;victory&#8221; is currently stuck in judicial purgatory.
DeSantis, ever the happy warrior, has <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2047020226785493096">responded</a> by offering to pay for Jeffries’ plane ticket to Florida. He even offered to take him fishing.
It’s a generous offer: Jeffries could use the time on the water to practice his latest trick—complaining about the &#8220;rigged system&#8221; in Florida while the ink is still wet on his own attempt to rig Virginia.
If Jeffries wants a war, he’s found a battlefield, but he might want to check his own backyard before he starts crying about the neighbors&#8217; fences.

Hakeem Jeffries

High Priest Of Hypocrisy: Hakeem Jeffries Demands Fairness In Florida Only After Rigging Virginia

Virginia

The nationwide mid-decade redistricting battle appears to be entering its final stretch, with major developments unfolding in Florida, Texas, and Virginia.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday unveiled his proposed congressional map that could add up to four GOP- leaning seats, as lawmakers prepare to take up the plan during a special session that kicks off on Tuesday.
&#8220;Florida got shortchanged in the 2020 Census, and we’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,&#8221; DeSantis told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ron-desantis-unveils-new-florida-congressional-map-would-give-gop-extra-four-seats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>. &#8220;Our population has since grown dramatically, and we have moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage. Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Texas’s congressional map to move forward, shooting down a lower court ruling that had blocked it over claims of race-based gerrymandering. The map is expected to produce five Republican-leaning seats, according to the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/27/texas-redistricting-map-ruling-us-supreme-court-upheld-2026-midterms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas Tribune</a>, and the high court had previously signaled in December that it was likely to allow the plan to stand.
“This was an intentional effort to limit the power of people of color in a state known for going to extremes to suppress the vote,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “It is one of the most blatant examples yet of modern-day racial gerrymandering, under the thin guise of partisanship.”
In Virginia, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in a closely watched case that could determine the fate of a newly approved congressional map. Voters last week narrowly backed a constitutional amendment that would shift the state&#8217;s delegation from a 6-4 split to a 10-1 Democratic advantage.
If the Virginia court blocks the new map, it could significantly alter the broader redistricting fight and determine which party will come out on top.
“Hang in there. This isn’t over in Virginia, and that’s just the Virginia chapter,&#8221; former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican, told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dem-power-grab-faces-courtroom-showdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Virginia+Dem+Power+Grab+Faces+Courtroom+Showdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>. &#8220;I think there’s a lot of regret across the country about the redistricting play in Virginia.”
With Republicans holding a narrow 218-212 majority in the House, and five seats currently vacant, the outcome of these redistricting battles will play a decisive role in determining control of Congress.

Governor DeSantis And ICE Announce Largest Joint Immigration Enforcement Operation In Florida History

Map Wars Heat Up As DeSantis, Supreme Court, And Virginia Clash Over Congressional Lines

Texas

Florida could be the Republicans’ last stand in the mid-decade redistricting battle, as the state legislature prepares to convene a special session Tuesday to consider new congressional maps.
If approved, the proposed maps could add three to five seats that favor Republicans in the state, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/23/florida-redistricting-desantis-republicans-maps-trump-00887120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico,</a> potentially shaping the balance of power in a narrowly divided U.S. House.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has criticized the effort, warning Florida Republicans to “F around and find out.”
“If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummymander, the Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans who are on the run right now,” Jeffries said at a Wednesday press conference.
Jeffries also expressed confidence that Democrats will win tough seats in red states, adding, &#8220;Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They&#8217;ll be fortunate if they get two or three. While in California, we are going to get all five.”
“The Republicans are dummymandering their way into the minority before a single vote is cast because they started this war and we&#8217;re going to finish it,” he continued.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis laughed off Jeffries&#8217; comments, suggesting that a national campaign by Democrats targeting the Sunshine State would only bolster the GOP.
“There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida to see Hakeem Jeffries everywhere around this state,” DeSantis said, according to <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/792314-the-door-is-open-ron-desantis-scoffs-at-hakeem-jeffries-threat-to-expand-dem-efforts-in-florida/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida Politics</a>. &#8220;Please, be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida and campaign. I’ll put you up in the Florida Governor’s mansion. We’ll take you fishing.&#8221;
Mid-decade redistricting efforts have rocked numerous states. In California, recent changes are expected to favor Democrats in several districts, while Texas Republicans have approved new maps to strengthen their position.
In Virginia, a Tuesday special election approved changes that could create four more Democrat-leaning seats, though a state circuit court judge has temporarily blocked the results from taking effect pending further legal review, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dem-power-grab-faces-courtroom-showdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Virginia+Dem+Power+Grab+Faces+Courtroom+Showdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
When The Daily Wire reached out to DeSantis’ office for further comment, a spokesperson simply stated, “Stay tuned!”
At the state level, Democrats in Florida are also pushing back on the process. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith criticized the lack of publicly released maps ahead of the session.
“Just 6 days out from the Florida GOP dummymander and still NO MAPS!” Smith posted to X on Wednesday. “They want rigged Congressional maps that keep Trump’s Republican party in power despite majority opposition from Florida voters.”
Florida&#8217;s current congressional delegation includes eight Democrats and 20 Republicans. Nationally, Republicans hold a slim 218-212 majority in the House, with several vacancies and a number of competitive races expected to factor into the chamber&#8217;s balance of power. The <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a> ranks 16 House races as &#8220;toss-ups,&#8221; with 14 contests considered &#8220;Lean Democrat&#8221; and two as &#8220;Lean Republican.&#8221;

GettyImages-2181789679

GOP Has One Final Chance To Counteract Dems Big Win

House of Representatives

The political war over the American map reached a fever pitch this week as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a blistering takedown of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). After the New York Democrat attempted to use a narrow, legally shaky victory in Virginia to threaten the Sunshine State’s redistricting plans, DeSantis didn&#8217;t just push back—he dismantled Jeffries’ entire political persona.
The spark for the confrontation was Tuesday’s referendum in Virginia. In a move that critics have slammed as a naked partisan power grab, Virginia voters narrowly approved—51.5% to 48.5%—a constitutional amendment allowing the Democratic-led General Assembly to bypass a bipartisan commission. The goal? Redrawing maps to transform a 6–5 Democratic edge into a crushing 10–1 advantage.
While Democrats celebrated the move as &#8220;defeating gerrymandering,&#8221; the victory was short-lived. A Virginia judge immediately threw a wrench in the works, ruling the referendum unconstitutional and blocking certification due to procedural failures.
That didn&#8217;t stop Hakeem Jeffries from &#8220;popping off,&#8221; as DeSantis put it. Flush with the Virginia news, Jeffries took to the microphones and social media to issue a warning to Florida Republicans. &#8220;Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out,&#8221; Jeffries barked, claiming Republicans are &#8220;dummymandering&#8221; their way into the minority and vowing to &#8220;crush&#8221; what he called the &#8220;DeSantis Dummymander.&#8221;
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Rep. Jeffries &quot;Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out. If they go down the road of a DeSantis &#39;dummymander&#39;, the Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RlNH0OH4Kp">pic.twitter.com/RlNH0OH4Kp</a>
&mdash; Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2046984191716340211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Democrats defeated Donald Trump’s gerrymandering scheme in Virginia tonight. 
We will crush the DeSantis Dummymander in Florida next.
Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time. <a href="https://t.co/zM1oXhZT8K">pic.twitter.com/zM1oXhZT8K</a>
&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) <a href="https://twitter.com/hakeemjeffries/status/2046754383707148505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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DeSantis, who has called a special session for late April to address Florida&#8217;s massive population-driven malapportionment, was more than happy to accept the challenge.
&#8220;This guy, Jeffries, popping off in Washington about Florida,&#8221; DeSantis told reporters with a grin. &#8220;He wants to be Speaker of the House, and he&#8217;s kind of like—more liberal than Pelosi and all this other stuff from New York City. I just want to know: &#8216;Ooh, Florida. We&#8217;re going to go after Florida.&#8217; Please: be my guest.&#8221;
DeSantis then leaned into a devastatingly polite mockery, offering to pay for Jeffries’ travel and put him up in the Governor’s Mansion. &#8220;We&#8217;ll take you fishing,&#8221; DeSantis quipped. &#8220;We&#8217;ll do all this stuff. There&#8217;s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Hakeem Jeffries everywhere around this state. Voters will not like what they see.&#8221;
The governor then twisted the knife, pointing out that despite Jeffries’ attempts to move further left to appease his base, the radical wing of his own party remains unimpressed. &#8220;I kind of feel bad for the guy because he&#8217;s as Left as they come. He&#8217;s always going Left. And yet the far-Left hates him. You know, they call him a &#8216;dollar-store Obama.&#8217; They call him &#8216;AIPAC Shakur,&#8217; all these different derogatory names that they do. And so he&#8217;s tried to ingratiate himself with [them], but they&#8217;re just not drinking the Kool-Aid.&#8221;
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🚨 HOLY CRAP! Gov. Ron DeSantis just BODIED Hakeem Jeffries threatening Florida if we re-draw our 2026 maps
&quot;&#39;Oh, we&#39;re gonna go after Florida.&#39; PLEASE. BE MY GUEST. I will PAY you to come campaign! I&#39;ll put you up in the Florida governor&#39;s mansion! We&#39;ll take you fishing.… <a href="https://t.co/uAN8gVXVHR">pic.twitter.com/uAN8gVXVHR</a>
&mdash; Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2047020226785493096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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While Jeffries relies on bravado, DeSantis has pointed to the cold reality of Florida’s growth. The governor has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_lIyHRCw68">noted</a> that Florida has seen ten years of population growth in just three, rendering current districts unfair. He has also hinted at an upcoming Supreme Court decision, likely penned by Justice Samuel Alito, that could further solidify the legal standing for mid-decade adjustments.
As the legal battles in Virginia prove that Democratic overreach often hits a judicial wall, DeSantis made one thing clear: if Hakeem Jeffries wants a war in Florida, the governor is happy to provide the battlefield—and the fishing rod.

DeSantis Obliterates ‘Dollar-Store Obama’ Over Redistricting Threats

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