Republicans Wind Down Their Post-Callais Gerrymander Blitz

"In Alabama the proposed new congressional map wipes out one majority-Black district but leaves another intact for the moment. The same is true in Louisiana; the Baton Rouge-based district at the center of the dispute in Callais is slated for extinction, but a New Orleans-based majority-Black district will apparently survive. The South Carolina Senate decided against extending its current legislative session to extinguish its one majority-Black congressional seat (held by the venerable Jim Clyburn), apparently because they feared undermining Republican incumbents."

"And so far Republican leaders in Mississippi have made no move to conduct a pre-midterm gerrymander to target that state's one majority-Black district, which would require overturning primaries that have already come and gone. Tennessee has already finished up an especially speedy gerrymander that extinguished the state's one majority-Black congressional district. And despite some caterwauling from MAGA types, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has ruled out redrawing his state's maps for the midterms."

"If this is the extent of the Republicans' post- Callais gerrymandering before the 2026 elections, the decision's net damage to Democrats is one seat each in Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee. Including the recent Florida GOP gerrymander and the Virginia Supreme Court decision overturning a voter-approved De"

Republican legislators in Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina made post-Callais decisions affecting majority-Black congressional districts. Alabama’s proposed map eliminates one majority-Black district while leaving another intact for the moment. Louisiana’s plan ends the Baton Rouge-based district at the center of the Callais dispute, while a New Orleans-based majority-Black district appears to survive. South Carolina’s Senate declined to extend its legislative session to eliminate its single majority-Black congressional seat held by Jim Clyburn, citing concerns about harming Republican incumbents. Mississippi has not moved to conduct a pre-midterm gerrymander targeting its one majority-Black district. Tennessee completed a rapid gerrymander eliminating its majority-Black district, while Georgia’s governor ruled out midterm redistricting but scheduled a special session for 2028.

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