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Florida congressional delegation will see upheaval in 2016

congress
Posted at 5:35 AM, Jul 28, 2015
and last updated 2015-07-28 05:35:00-04

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential ambitions and a Florida Supreme Court ruling tossing out several congressional maps will cause upheaval among the state's representation in Washington.

Four members of Congress are leaving to seek Rubio's seat, and nearly all the state's 27 districts will face changes after a ruling that Republican lawmakers violated the state constitution by approving congressional maps benefiting their party.

That guarantees Florida will have plenty of new faces in Congress after the 2016 election. One could be former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who says he'll run for the U.S. House if the new maps are drawn the way the court suggests.

It also means trouble for Congresswoman Gwen Graham, a rising star in the Democratic Party who could suddenly find herself representing a heavily Republican district.