In the wake of the legislative meltdown prompted by the inability of the Capitol's majority Republicans to compromise on a new Congressional map, Democratic strategists are moving to turn the GOP discord to their party's political advantage.
Despite two weeks of work to re-draw the map, which has been invalidated by the Florida Supreme Court as unconstitutional, Republican leaders in the House and Senate were unwilling to negotiate a new map blending each chamber's proposed boundaries. Instead, the House adjourned Friday morning, shortly before the scheduled end of the redistricting special legislative session.
Coming on the heels of last spring's abrupt adjournment sparked by an intense cross-rotunda disagreement over whether to expand Medicaid, some Democrats say the Republican rift over the comparatively less politically fraught issue of Congressional redistricting is a sign of a party strained by diverging loyalties.
"The Republicans in Florida, in Tallahassee, have given a wealth of ammunition to Democrats all across this state," said Democratic strategist Kevin Cate. "Whether they use it or whether they have the resources to use it is the main concern among Florida Democratic Party."
If Democratic candidates do make a campaign issue of the Republican divisions, they'd be taking a page from the GOP's own playbook. After an emotionally-fraught impasse among the then-majority Democrats during the 1992 redistricting process, Florida Republicans were able to win control of the House in 1994, then the Senate in 1996.