DeSantis taunts Jeffries with Florida invite — Dem leader responds with $20M warning shot

By Fox News · Fox News

There's no let up in the verbal fireworks between House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida in their war of words over congressional redistricting. One day after DeSantis on Wednesday taunted Jeffries, saying "there’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries … everywhere around this state," the top Democrat in the House fired back. Pointing to the announcement Thursday morning from a top super PAC aligned with House Democrats that it will shell out $20 million to target potentially vulnerable Florida Republican members of Congress, Jeffries said the move is "making it clear that we're on offense. That's our Democratic gift to Ron DeSantis and the Florida Republicans, who he is putting in jeopardy. " The trading of trash talk between the congressman from New York and the two-term Sunshine State governor comes ahead of next week's special session of the Florida legislature that DeSantis called to enact congressional redistricting to create additional right-leaning U.S. House seats. DESANTIS, JEFFRIES TRADE VERBAL FIRE OVER CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING Florida is the latest battleground between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats in the high-stakes showdown over congressional redistricting. Both parties have been redrawing the House district lines in states they control to gain partisan advantages heading into this year's midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its razor-thin congressional majority. Pressure from fellow Republicans is mounting on DeSantis to take action after the passage earlier this week in Virginia of a congressional redistricting referendum, which if it clears legal hurdles, will give the Democrat-controlled legislature — rather than the current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election. It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia's congressional delegation , up from their current 6…