Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) accused former President Barack Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder of “brutally” gerrymandering the country in the most recent U.S. census.
The topic of redistricting has been at the national forefront since Texas unveiled an aggressive plan to strip the Democrats of five congressional seats, threatening a nationwide gerrymandering arms race. In an appearance on Fox News’s Hannity, DeSantis blamed the state of affairs on the Obama administration, alleging wrongdoing in their alleged influence on the 2020 census.
“Well, Obama and Holder gerrymandered brutally across the country in this decade’s census. They actually even got into Florida, and I had to veto the legislature’s map, and I ended up proposing one which was a much fairer map and much better,” he said.
DeSantis then turned his ire toward the government of California.
“California is gerrymandered. They have a commission, but that’s a ruse. They have Democrats on the commission, liberal independents, and liberal Republicans. And so their map now is gerrymandered, and Gavin wants to do it even more,” he said.
NEWSOM CALLS ON TRUMP TO END REDISTRICTING PUSH: ‘PLAYING WITH FIRE’
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has threatened to retaliate against Texas with an aggressive redistricting plan ridding the state of many Republican seats if the plan goes through.
“We don’t move unless they move,” Newsom said of Texas. “This is triggered. They drew first blood. We’re responding to this action, and this is how we choose to respond.”