TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s Republican-controlled House is holding the first meeting of its select committee on congressional redistricting Thursday, as the state becomes the latest to consider redrawing electoral maps amid a partisan battle for every edge in next year’s midterm elections.

The national wave of redistricting efforts was instigated by President Donald Trump, who hopes to buck the historical trend of the president’s party losing seats in midterms, and his allies are wagering that his adopted home state could yield three to five more seats for Republicans. Each seat is crucial, because Democrats need a net gain of just three to control the chamber.

But the push for redistricting faces major challenges in Florida due to bitter infighting between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and leaders in the GOP-dominated Legislature, along with a provision in the state Constitution that explicitly bars redrawing maps with the intent to “favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent.”

DeSantis has voiced support for redistricting and even called for a redo of the 2020 U.S. census, claiming that Florida was shortchanged in the count, which determines how many congressional seats each state gets.

“We are going to press this issue,” DeSantis said in August.

This week, in an interview with online outlet The Floridian, DeSantis floated the possibility of calling lawmakers back in a special session if they do not get redistricting done in the regular session, which is scheduled for Jan. 13 to March 13.

The state Senate has declined to wade into the fray so far.

Senate President Ben Albritton, also a Republican, has said there is “no ongoing work” on the matter in his chamber, citing the governor’s desire to address it in the spring.

Civil liberties and voting rights organizations say any redistricting for partisan gain in Florida is unconstitutional, and their supporters plan to pack committee meetings to voice opposition.

“To redraw the lines for partisan reasons is illegal. Period, full stop,” said Genesis Robinson, executive director of the voter engagement organization Equal Ground.

Florida has 28 congressional seats, with a Republican-Democratic split of 20-8.

Nationwide, midcycle redistricting has resulted in nine more congressional seats that Republicans believe they can win and six that Democrats think they can win. The redistricting is being litigated in several states, however, and there is also no guarantee that the parties will win the remapped seats.

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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

One of college football’s most heralded assistants has gotten his first head-coaching job.

Ohio State offensive coordinator at wide receivers coach Brian Hartline is expected to be hired as the next head coach at South Florida, according to multiple reports on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

He’ll replace Alex Golesh, who left the Bulls to become the head coach at Auburn three days earlier.

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According to Yahoo Sports, Hartline has signed a six-year deal with South Florida and will remain with Ohio State for the upcoming College Football Playoff.

Hartline has been at Ohio State since 2017 and has been instrumental in the Buckeyes’ rise as an offensive powerhouse centered around college-turned-NFL stars at wide receiver. Among the players Hartline has coached are Jeremiah Smith, Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka and Garrett Wilson. Over the past four years, five wide receivers that Hartline coached have been taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

A former Ohio State wide receiver himself, the 37-year-old Hartline is in his third season as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator. He shared the title last season with Chip Kelly when Ohio State won the national championship.

This season, with Hartline as the sole offensive coordinator, the No. 1 Buckeyes are averaging 37 points per game heading into Saturday’s Big Ten championship game against No. 2 Indiana. It’s the 13th-highest mark among 136 FBS programs.

South Florida is 9-3 this season and went 23-15 in three seasons under Golesh. Given the size of the school, the program’s location in a talent-rich state and the opening of a new stadium in the next few years, South Florida is widely considered one of the best jobs outside of the Power Four conferences.