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‘We have a fight ahead of us’

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said Saturday that Democrats face “a fight ahead” of possible redistricting efforts that could begin after the Supreme Court’s ruling against a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said last week that he would call a special session to consider redrawing the state’s congressional map 21 days after the high court ruled, ahead of the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on the Voting Rights Act at the time. This decision came on Wednesday.

“So clearly we have a fight ahead of us,” Thompson told CNN’s Victor Blackwell. “Those of us who have been in this fight forever, we’re going to keep doing it. Victor, no one said that in most of these states, these districts were all drawn by Republicans and approved by Republican legislatures.”

Thompson argued that given blacks make up 38 percent of Mississippi’s population, they should have “at least” one House representative.

“What you see is exactly what I’m talking about,” he continued. “Given an opportunity left without any guardrails, white Republican elected officials will eliminate every opportunity for Black people to get elected. And so this Supreme Court issue, which was decided in favor of the Black community, is now being challenged by the governor with a new redistricting plan.”

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision held that the new map in Louisiana was unconstitutionally racist and weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This provision prevents electoral practices that deny equal access to the political process based on race. The decision may significantly affect the use of the provision.

Thompson said he “couldn’t be an elected official if it weren’t for the Voting Rights Act” and wouldn’t be a registered voter if it weren’t for that law.

But the decision could jeopardize Democratic seats in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina, according to Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball, which includes Thompson.

Thompson said the court’s decision “sets us back 60 years, and we’re going to fight for it.”

“Like you said, look at what they did in Louisiana,” he said. “They are unapologetically trying to stop the election and take away representation from the Black community. They just want to do that.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) suspended the state’s primary and runoff elections on Thursday; it was previously scheduled to be held more than two weeks later. He and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) he said in a statement He said the court’s decision prevented the state from “holding congressional elections based on the current map.”

“This executive order allows us to uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map,” Landry said in the suspension announcement.

Democrats decried the Supreme Court’s decision as a return to Jim Crow-era laws that limited Black citizens in the South from voting with restrictions such as poll taxes and literacy tests. They fear it could help Republicans win 19 new GOP-leaning seats in the House of Representatives.

Southern Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), have called on their state’s elected officials to ensure a House GOP victory in November.

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