May 29, 2026, 12:04 p.m. CT
- Louisiana lawmakers passed a new congressional map that eliminates a Black-majority district.
- The new map creates five safe Republican seats and one safe Democratic seat.
- The change follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that deemed the previous map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
- Democratic lawmakers have criticized the new map, calling it a racist action that disenfranchises Black voters.
Louisiana lawmakers gave final passage May 29 to a congressional map that erases a Black-majority district and gives Republicans another safe seat in the battle to retain their slim majority in the U.S. House in November’s mid-term elections.
“I am confident that we have enacted a map that treats each region of the state fairly and that will likely put another Republican back in Congress as well as one which will easily pass constitutional muster,” said the map’s author Sen. Jay Morris in an interview with USA Today Network.
“We can’t please everyone who seeks a map exactly like they want, but the votes in both houses reflect a broad consensus in favor of this map,” he said.
Senate Bill 121 creates five Republican safe seats and leaves Democrats with one — the 2nd Congressional District based in New Orleans represented by Black Democratic Congressman Troy Carter.
Republican lawmakers raced to draw the new map supported by Gov. Jeff Landry after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled April 29 the state’s existing map unconstitutional because the majority Black 6th Congressional District boundaries created a racial gerrymander.
Democratic lawmakers opposed the action at every turn, but could do nothing to stop the new map from becoming law with Republicans holding super majorities in both the House and Senate.
Louisiana’s new map dismantles the unconstitutional 6th District represented by Black Congressman Cleo Fields that includes parts of Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria and Shreveport and restores its boundaries to the Baton Rouge capital area that favors Republicans.
The bill triggered emotional debate from Black lawmakers in the House and Senate who said it represented a racist action that disenfranchises Black voters.
“Louisiana is drowning in bigotry, racism and hate,” Black Democratic Rep. Marcus Bryant said on the House floor May 28.
“If you vote for this bill you are participating in a racist act,” said Democratic Rep. Edmond Jordan, chairman of the Black Caucus.
But Morris and Rep. “Beau” Beaullieu, who presented the bill in the House, emphasized that the Supreme Court decision prohibits districts to be drawn with race as the primary factor but allows boundaries to be drawn for partisan political considerations.
“We did not take race into consideration when drawing these maps,” Beaullieu said Thursday. “Partisan advantage was a strong factor.”
Landry postponed Louisiana’s May 16 House elections so they can be held Nov. 3 under a new map to favor Republicans.
Other Republican dominated state Legislatures in the Deep South are also drawing or considering drawing new congressional maps that favor Republicans after being empowered by the Supreme Court’s decision on the Louisiana boundaries.
Each seat will be critical as Republicans seek to hold a razor thin majority in the House while Democrats seek to flip control.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
