Al Sharpton has one move, and he ran it again this week.
DeSantis drew a new Florida congressional map, and Sharpton called it racist.
Here's what Sharpton didn't mention: the Florida House voted on that map one hour after the Supreme Court handed down a 6–3 ruling that validated everything DeSantis had been saying for years.
Sharpton's Play, By the Numbers
Ron DeSantis mocked Hakeem Jeffries' threats at a public appearance in Ormond Beach this week.
Jeffries had warned Florida Republicans they would face "maximum warfare" and told them to "F around and find out."
https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2051096786916249807?s=20
DeSantis put on an impression, told Jeffries to make his day, and offered to personally pay for his plane ticket to campaign in Florida.
Al Sharpton went on MSNBC and called it an "offensive accent."
Florida Democrat Chair Nikki Fried said DeSantis was "dehumanizing" Jeffries.
The Congressional Black Caucus PAC compared DeSantis to Bull Connor – the Birmingham police chief who used dogs and fire hoses on civil rights protesters in the 1960s.
That's how far they had to reach.
A governor did an impression of a politician who threatened him, and the response was a Bull Connor comparison.
The racism card is so overplayed at this point that they're comparing accents to fire hoses.
What Was Happening While Sharpton Complained
Here's what was actually going on.
DeSantis had called a special legislative session to redraw Florida's congressional maps.
He did it before the Supreme Court ruling came down – because he was certain how they would rule.
"First of all, we knew," DeSantis said Thursday. "It not only vindicated what we were doing. It compelled us to do what we were doing."
He was right.
https://twitter.com/thedailybs_Bo/status/2051264262530613383?s=20
On April 29, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in Louisiana v. Callais that race-based congressional districts violate the Constitution.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, concluding that the Voting Rights Act "did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district" – meaning no compelling interest justified using race to draw the map.
The map was an unconstitutional gerrymander.
One hour after that ruling dropped, the Florida House voted 83–28 to pass DeSantis' new map.
Rep. Alex Andrade, a Republican from Pensacola, summed it up from the floor: "I got to read it, and it perfectly summarizes exactly why we could, and should, change our 2022 maps."
DeSantis built his entire legal strategy around a ruling he predicted years in advance.
What Democrats Are Actually Defending
Al Sharpton says DeSantis is dismantling civil rights.
Let's be specific about what "civil rights" means in this context.
It means congressional districts drawn specifically to concentrate Black voters into a single seat – packed together so tightly the districts look, as DeSantis put it, like "crab claws" on a map.
Democrats defend these districts as protecting minority representation.
What they actually do is quarantine minority voters into one safe Democratic seat while draining them from every surrounding district – guaranteeing Democrats one easy win and making every other race easier for Republicans to win.
It's a machine that uses the language of inclusion to deliver political manipulation.
The Supreme Court just ruled it unconstitutional.
MSNBC legal analyst Paul Butler says the court doesn't "respect" the rights of Black and Brown voters.
CNN's Abby Phillip warned the ruling will "eradicate" Black political representation in the South.
What they're actually arguing is that Black voters can only be represented if their skin color is the organizing principle of their congressional district.
Six Supreme Court justices just said that argument violates the Constitution.
The Map Democrats Drew and the Map DeSantis Drew
The new Florida maps are projected to flip up to four Democrat-held seats Republican – targeting districts held by Jared Moskowitz, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Castor, and Darren Soto, whose seat is eliminated entirely.
That's the number Democrats are protecting.
Not voting rights – seats.
Jeffries' House Democrat leadership PAC pledged $20 million to fight the new Florida maps.
That's not a civil rights budget.
That's a campaign budget.
https://twitter.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/2048777217820311753?s=20
DeSantis looked at that $20 million threat, did an impression of Jeffries making it, and dared him to spend every dollar.
Sharpton went on television and called the impression racist.
The Supreme Court handed down its ruling the same week.
The Voting Rights Act is still law.
Black Americans still vote.
What just ended is the Democrat Party's ability to draw their own maps, call anyone who objects a racist, and watch Republicans fold.
DeSantis didn't fold.
The Supreme Court agreed with him.
Al Sharpton is still on television.
Sources:
- Sean James, "Al Sharpton Slams Ron DeSantis for Mocking Hakeem Jeffries With 'Offensive Accent,'" Mediaite, May 3, 2026.
- Garrett Shanley, "DeSantis Does a Hakeem Jeffries Impression Amid Redistricting Jabs," Tampa Bay Times, April 30, 2026.
- Amy Howe, "In Major Voting Rights Act Case, Supreme Court Strikes Down Redistricting Map Challenged as Racially Discriminatory," SCOTUSblog, April 29, 2026.
- Mitch Perry, "DeSantis Takes a Victory Lap After Legislature OKs His Redistricting Map," Florida Phoenix, April 30, 2026.
- "Florida Legislature Passes Redistricting Plan Creating Four Additional GOP-Leaning House Seats," NBC News, April 29, 2026.
- "Voting Rights Act Ruling Boosts DeSantis' Florida GOP Redistricting Plan," Axios, April 29, 2026.
