(photo: Wikimedia Commons)
With four weeks to go in the legislative session, state lawmakers are expected to begin this week the public debate on drawing up a new Congressional district map. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the current map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. At issue is the 6th District, which in 2024 was created as the state’s second majority minority district and Democrat Cleo Fields represents it. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says not only does the 6th District’s boundaries need to be changed, but several others also need to be redrawn too.
“Most of the other districts from Baton Rouge, west and north, are all subject to having different configurations and to figure all that out,” Pinsonat said.
Redistricting is never a fun process for the Louisiana Legislature. Pinsonat says one factor that makes this map drawing exercise more complicated is that you have three state lawmakers running for Congress.
“You’ve got a lot of egos that are involved; you’ve got a lot of people who say, ‘Oh look, create this district and I can run,'” Pinsonat noted.
State senators Blake Miguez and Rick Edmonds and state representative Michael Echols were all candidates in the 5th District race.
Pinsonat expects the map that this Louisiana Legislature will approve will look much like the one approved by lawmakers in 2022 that was challenged legally by civil rights groups.
“Why wouldn’t that be your starting point? Everybody’s ready to be on that anyway except the Black Caucus, and I don’t think the Republicans are going to spend a lot of time trying to please them,” Pinsonat said.
Pinsonat also expects the Louisiana Legislature will approve legislation that would move the U.S. House races back to an open primary.
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