Al Lawson thrashes Ron DeSantis’ proposed congressional cartography

Al Lawson.

A Congressman whose district is conspicuously absent from a redistricting map from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office is speaking out.

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, a Tallahassee Democrat, issued an extensive statement slamming the gubernatorial cartography.

“I will ensure the people of Florida’s 5th District have the representation in Congress they rightfully deserve,” Lawson said. “My district includes a large minority and urban core, protecting minority voting access is critical to serving the needs of this area.”

But a map submitted by Ryan Newman, the Republican Governor’s general counsel, shows no jurisdiction analogous to CD 5.

That’s something Lawson takes personally, and not just because he represents the district in the U.S. House.

“In fact, it was my leadership and others that helped create three minority access seats that allowed the first African Americans from Florida to be elected to Congress when I served in the State House,” said Lawson, a former state Senator and state Representative. “It is evident that DeSantis is trying to restrict minority representation, specifically African American voters.”

After the creation of Florida’s first minority access districts following the 1990 Census, Florida sent its first Black representatives to the U.S. House since Reconstruction: Corrine Brown, Alcee Hastings and Carrie Meek. Both Meek and Hastings died last year.

Brown’s career, interestingly, was ended by Lawson, who defeated the incumbent in 2016.

That came after the Florida Supreme Court tossed a map drafted by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2015 and replaced it with a map that for the first time established the Tallahassee-to-Jacksonville makeup for CD 5.

Lawson previously tried unsuccessfully to unseat another Democratic incumbent, former U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, but in a nonminority access district. He lost the Primary in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District in 2010. But he won a seat in Congress after Tallahassee made it into a primarily Black district and has won re-election subsequently.

All draft congressional maps published thus far by staff in the Florida House or Senate have included a district similar to the existing CD 5.

But the Governor’s map (P 0079) does not. Moreover, a statement from Newman suggests Florida’s executive branch finds the legislative proposals so far to be lacking.

“We have legal concerns with the congressional redistricting maps under consideration in the Legislature,” he said.

Lawson, for his part, doesn’t think the Governor should be involved in drafting maps at all.

“Governor DeSantis’ involvement in the Congressional map redistricting process is unprecedented,” he said. “During my many years in the Florida Legislature, a Governor would never submit a map in the redistricting process.”

But he also does not believe maps that diminish the power of Black voters to elect candidates of their choice will survive the courts if they even make it out of the Legislature.

“I am confident that this attempt by the Governor to dilute the voting rights of my constituents is in clear violation of the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution,” Lawson said. “Voting rights advocacy organizations like Fair Districts, the NAACP and other community interest groups have not had the opportunity to weigh in on the Governor’s partisan proposed map which would negatively affect people of color. More importantly, the voters have not weighed in.

“I have been fortunate to represent the people of Florida’s 5th District for many years and I look forward to continuing to do so now and in the future.”