The Louisiana legislature on Friday approved a new congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts, shifting the balance of power in favor of Republicans. The map, which is expected to give Republicans a 5-1 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation, was passed by the Senate in a 28–10 vote after being amended by the House. Governor Jeff Landry (R-LA) is expected to sign the bill into law.
The new map comes in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down Louisiana’s existing congressional map, finding that lawmakers had relied too heavily on race when drawing the Bayou State’s 6th Congressional District. The revised plan reshapes that district, currently represented by Rep. Cleo Fields (D-LA), in a way that makes it more favorable to Republicans. Meanwhile, the 2nd Congressional District, represented by Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA), would remain a majority-Black district.
Following the Supreme Court ruling, Landry suspended the state’s scheduled May 16 U.S. House primaries to give lawmakers time to redraw districts for the 2026 cycle. The primaries have now been rescheduled for Nov. 3, with runoffs set for Dec. 12. The redistricting fight has also fueled political backlash, with Republican Rep. Clay Higgins criticizing the revised map on social media, calling it “the worst I’ve seen yet” and describing it as a “Frankenstein” plan.
Republicans stressed during debate that they focused on partisanship rather than race when drawing the new map. “We focused on the Democrat numbers, not the racial numbers when drawing,” said state Rep. Beau Beaullieu, a Republican leading the map drawing for the party in the House. Democrats, however, protested the racial impact of a partisan map, arguing that it reduces minority opportunity representation.
The new map is part of a broader wave of congressional redistricting efforts across the country, with several Republican-controlled Southern states seizing upon a weakened federal Voting Rights Act to redraw their own congressional districts. Republicans believe they could gain as many as 14 seats from their redistricting efforts, while Democrats think they could gain six seats from new districts in California and Utah.