Republican senators in Louisiana have moved to redraw the state's congressional map to eliminate one of two majority-Black, Democratic-held seats. A Senate committee voted Wednesday to advance the plan, and the state senate later voted 27-10 on Thursday to pass the map. This change could result in a 5-1 congressional majority for Republicans. The move comes after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v Callais struck down the previous map as an illegal racial gerrymander and weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections.
Similar efforts to dilute the influence of Black voters and eliminate Democratic districts are occurring across several Southern states following the weakening of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Tennessee has already enacted a map that divides the majority-Black city of Memphis into three districts to remove the state's lone Democrat. Alabama has successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to eliminate a district currently represented by a Black Democrat, utilizing a map previously ruled as intentionally discriminatory. While a similar effort recently fizzled in the South Carolina Senate, the governor there continues to push for redistricting and may call a special session.
These redistricting efforts are part of a broader 10-month national battle involving about one-third of U.S. states. The trend gained momentum after President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw districts for the midterm elections, prompting responses from Democrats in California. Republicans believe they could gain as many as 15 seats across states including Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama, while Democrats may gain six seats in California and Utah. In Louisiana, the new districts still require House approval and may cause primary elections to be postponed from Saturday until November.