Republicans in Louisiana are poised to eliminate a majority-Black congressional district that elected a Democrat in response to a recent US Supreme Court ruling that its map constituted an illegal racial gerrymander.
A redistricting plan passed on Thursday by the state House would give Republicans a chance at picking up an additional seat in this year’s midterm elections, AP reports.
It also would protect House speaker Mike Johnson from facing a more difficult reelection. The plan needs only a final Senate vote, which could come on Friday, to go to Republican governor Jeff Landry.
“We drew this map in an effort to safely maximize Republican strength,” said state representative Beau Beaullieu, a Republican who chairs the chamber’s redistricting committee.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision in late April, several other Southern states already have seized upon a weakened federal Voting Rights Act to try to redraw their own congressional districts.
