Whenever Democrats start tearing their hair out over something Republicans are doing, like redrawing state district maps to gain a GOP advantage, it's always because it's something they have been doing themselves, and they don't want to surrender the advantage it gives them. When it comes to redistricting, all you need to do is look at a district map of Illinois, Maryland, or the Los Angeles area to see how true that is.
Now, Louisiana is sure to prompt another such outburst; the Louisiana state legislature has just approved a new Congressional district map that eliminates one black-majority district, and it's on its way to the governor's desk for signature, expected to follow in short order.
The Louisiana Legislature passed a new GOP-favored House map Friday that eliminates one of the state’s Black-majority congressional districts after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Bayou State’s map unconstitutional earlier this month.
The new map, approved in a 28-10 vote, eliminates Rep. Cleo Fields’ (D-La.) seat, the 6th Congressional District, which runs from Shreveport to Baton Rouge.
The Louisiana Senate had originally passed new congressional lines earlier this month in a 27-10 vote, but the state House had added amendments to the legislation earlier this week that sent the map back to the state Senate for approval.
It now heads to Gov. Jeff Landry’s (R) desk for his signature. He’s expected to swiftly sign the new House map into law.
Swiftly, indeed. We should note that the new map does retain District 2 as a black-majority district.
Read More: Alabama Map Fight Erupts Again As Federal Panel Defies SCOTUS Momentum
Florida's New Congressional Map One Step Closer to Reality After Circuit Court Judge's Ruling
Louisiana isn't the only state to take on redistricting after a Supreme Court decision did away (mostly) with race-based district requirements.
The seismic ruling, which has made it subsequently harder for race to be considered in redistricting, had immediate ripple effects, with other southern states like Tennessee and Alabama looking to redraw their lines ahead of the midterms. Republicans are looking to offer themselves additional cushion by adding potential pickup seats in November as they brace for a competitive midterm environment.
Efforts in Tennessee and Florida are so far moving forward, where Republicans could gain up to five seats between the two states. Meanwhile, efforts in Alabama and South Carolina, where Republicans were looking to pick up two additional House seats, have been temporarily blocked.
The Democrats in all of these states have already started pushing back, as you see here, but this is a case where a little optimism is in order. There's a Supreme Court decision favoring the elimination of majority-minority districting, and that's as it should be; drawing district lines based on the racial makeup of a certain region seems the exact opposite of equal treatment under the law. And, for once, the GOP seems determined to do as General Ulysses Grant said during the Overland Campaign, where he wrote to General Henry "Brains" Halleck, "I propose to fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer." That may be what it takes, and for once, maybe the GOP will give Democrats the fight they've been pushing for, for several generations now.
Do, good. Let's get this done. Now, if we could just get the SAVE America Act passed... Senator Thune? Are you there?
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