Some Republicans call for Mississippi to gerrymander out state’s only majority Black congressional district
By Taylor Vance | Originally published by Mississippi Today
After the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a ruling that rolls back racial discrimination protections for redistricting, some Mississippi Republican officials want lawmakers to make it effectively impossible for Mississippi’s lone Democrat in Congress to get reelected.
State Auditor Shad White, a potential Republican candidate for governor, and two Republican state legislators have said on social media in recent days that the state’s legislative leaders should redraw longtime U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson’s congressional district.
“It’s time to erase Bennie Thompson’s district,” said Sen. Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from Southaven and part of the Senate leadership.
The 2nd Congressional District that Thompson, Mississippi’s only Black official in Congress, represents includes most of the majority-Black Jackson Metro Area and most of the majority-Black Delta region.
The way lawmakers might ensure Thompson can’t win that seat again is to dismantle it, diluting the Black vote with parts of surrounding majority-white districts. Despite having the highest percentage Black population of any state, at about 38%, Mississippi has historically had few Black elected officials, due largely to past gerrymandering and Jim Crow voting laws.
Thompson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday, but he said on Wednesday that he’s disappointed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision.
But the options for Republicans to redraw the 2nd Congressional district right now are limited.
Lawmakers ended their regular session earlier this year, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is the only person who can call them into a special session to consider new legislation. During a special session, Reeves gets to set the agenda, and lawmakers cannot consider anything outside the parameters the governor sets.
Reeves has ordered lawmakers to return to Jackson on May 20 to debate redrawing Mississippi’s state Supreme Court districts, but that is the only item on the agenda so far.
“In 21 days, we go back to the Capitol, and we don’t need to stop with our state Supreme Court districts,” Republican Sen. Mike McLendon of Hernando said on social media. “We need to eliminate Bennie Thompson’s district and create a 4R-0D congressional map for Mississippi.”
Even if the Legislature were to redraw the state’s four congressional districts, it would be difficult for them to go into effect in time for the November midterm elections. Mississippi has already held party primaries for congressional elections this year, and it would be unprecedented for the state to invalidate an election.
However, lawmakers can redraw the districts in time for the 2028 election. Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Cheikh Taylor told reporters on Thursday that he thought the calls to alter Thompson’s district were “egregious.”
“We fought to make sure that was a majority-minority and a protected district. Let me be clear: That doesn’t guarantee that a minority will win the seat. It just gives an opportunity for that to happen.”
Thompson often draws fierce opposition from Republicans because he has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and helped lead the January 6 Commission that investigated the president’s supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
