The Louisiana State Senate voted 27-10 along party lines Thursday to advance to the House a new voting map that favors Republican candidates in five of Louisiana’s six congressional districts.
After a contentious, 9 1/2-hour meeting in the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee that lasted throughout the night until early morning Wednesday, the Senate met for four hours Thursday and advanced the 5-1 map outlined in Senate Bill 121 by Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe.
Morris said he created the new map based on party affiliation rather than race, which was the guiding principle highlighted by the Supreme Court in its decision in Callais v. Louisiana, which indicated race could not be used as the primary factor in drawing congressional maps.
“It’s perfectly fine for us to redraw maps based upon politics,” Morris said. “Since I am a Republican and believe in the policies that Republicans often advance, these maps are drawn to maximize Republican advantage for the incumbent Republicans that we have in Congress at the present time.”
“This is based on the ideals that a majority of Louisiana citizens hold,” Morris added. “The maps will perform well for Republicans. I admit that in considering that, but race had nothing to do with it.”
The new 5-1 map would protect the Republican incumbents in Congress, specifically House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Morris also stated that the map allows for as many Democratic voters to be put into a single minority-majority district, District 2.
Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport, questioned the map, asking Morris if a single Democratic district was just a way to discriminate against Black and Democratic voters. Morris responded no.
“If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck,” Jenkins said.
