Gov. DeSantis is challenging the 2020 Census results
By Wilkine Brutus
August 20, 2025 at 5:54 PM EDT
Gov. Ron DeSantis is challenging the 2020 Census results, saying Florida was shortchanged under the former Biden administration.
He’s pushing for a rare mid-decade census that could change congressional seats before the 2026 midterm elections.
Speaking Wednesday at Palm Beach State College, DeSantis said he and the Trump administration want to see Florida gain at least one more U.S. House seat.
"And if we get that, that’s not only an extra set in the House of Representatives — we have 28 now — that would also mean an additional vote in the Electoral College when it comes to presidential elections," he said.
DeSantis also said gaining a seat would trigger a redraw of Florida’s congressional map.
READ MORE: Gov. Ron DeSantis may seek to redraw congressional districts before 2030
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier cited rapid population growth and what he considers flawed data carried over from the Biden era.
"Florida citizens deserve adequate representation in Congress. They deserve the adequate representation in the electoral college," Uthmeier said during the conference.
The move faces legal hurdles because, the Census, by law, is conducted once a decade.
In 2022, the Census Bureau reported it undercounted the population of six states, including Florida, and likely cost it one congressional seat. That same report found that Black, Hispanic and American Indian residents were missed at higher rates than a decade earlier during the 2020 census.
This is a News In Brief report. Visit WLRN News for in-depth reporting from South Florida and Florida news.
He’s pushing for a rare mid-decade census that could change congressional seats before the 2026 midterm elections.
Speaking Wednesday at Palm Beach State College, DeSantis said he and the Trump administration want to see Florida gain at least one more U.S. House seat.
"And if we get that, that’s not only an extra set in the House of Representatives — we have 28 now — that would also mean an additional vote in the Electoral College when it comes to presidential elections," he said.
DeSantis also said gaining a seat would trigger a redraw of Florida’s congressional map.
READ MORE: Gov. Ron DeSantis may seek to redraw congressional districts before 2030
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier cited rapid population growth and what he considers flawed data carried over from the Biden era.
"Florida citizens deserve adequate representation in Congress. They deserve the adequate representation in the electoral college," Uthmeier said during the conference.
The move faces legal hurdles because, the Census, by law, is conducted once a decade.
In 2022, the Census Bureau reported it undercounted the population of six states, including Florida, and likely cost it one congressional seat. That same report found that Black, Hispanic and American Indian residents were missed at higher rates than a decade earlier during the 2020 census.
This is a News In Brief report. Visit WLRN News for in-depth reporting from South Florida and Florida news.