Florida Republican who warned new maps will backfire announces shock retirement

There has been a flurry of state-to-state redistricting efforts ever since Texas announced plans to gerrymander its electoral map and create new Republican seats in the House last August. The latest comes in Florida, where Republicans aim to offset Democratic gains forged by a newly-approved map in Virginia. Florida Congressman Daniel Webster, however, has argued against remapping the Sunshine State, siding with a minority of GOP voices who warned redistricting would backfire in the end.

"Don't do it, I've said it from the beginning,” said Webster. “I've been around enough reapportionments to know it's a slippery slope.”

On Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a new map that would create four new Republican seats while eliminating three Democratic districts. Tuesday, Webster — Florida’s longest-serving legislator — announced his intention to retire from Congress. While Webster released a fairly boilerplate explanation for his departure, saying he wants to spend more time with family, many have commented on the timing in regard to the redistricting plan.

President Donald Trump has praised Webster in the past, saying earlier this year that he was “doing an incredible job” and endorsing him for reelection in the coming November midterms. When Senator Thomas Massie (R-FL) endorsed Webster in 2024 over MAGA pick Anthony Sabatini, however, many constituents on the far-right were angered.

Now, according to Democratic Congressional candidate Barbie Harden Hall, rumors are swirling that Trump may endorse Sabatini as Webster’s replacement. She suggests, however, that Trump could instead back far-right provocateur Laura Loomer, who is better known than Sabatini, nearly beat Webster in the 2022 Republican primary and “still has [Trump’s] ear.”

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