With a gun to their heads, the Louisiana legislature finally redrew the state’s Congressional map.  African Americans comprise over 33% of the population. Now Louisiana finally has a second Black Congressional district.  Only after a federal judge promised to draw the district, did the legislature finally come up with a new district.  The newly elected and super conservative governor Jeff Landry’s first order of business was to create the new “Black” district.

2nd Black District

You might remember the legislature held a statewide listening tour to see what the citizens thought about forming a new district.  Led by then Senator Sharon Hewitt, the committee decided the discriminatory old map with only one majority black district was in the senator’s words a “good and right thing”.  The super majority Republican legislature backed the only one “Black” district plan. In the face of judicial  scrutiny, the legislature played the old delay and deny game.  Ultimately they could never agree on anything other than one majority minority district. 

Related: Gerrymandering the new grandfather clause

But federal judge Shelley Dick threatened to draw the new map herself.  Then in stepped new governor Jeff Landry.  He had a political axe to grind.  And he had no control over the map that Judge Dick would draw.  So his political adversary and moderate Republican Garrett Graves was the sacrificial lamb.  Graves committed many mortal sins in the eyes of the conservative wing of the state’s Republican party.  He criticized then President Donald Trump.  Graves said Trump’s actions prior to the riot was wrong.  Graves also did not say the election was stolen.  The final straw was Graves endorsing Steven Waguespack’s for governor against Landry. 

RINO Graves lost his seat

Might as well have a Black Democrat then.  So, Landry backed a map that eliminated Graves district.  Where do moderate Republicans go to die?  Will Graves back one of the new African Americans and further alienate himself?  A former staffer for David Vitter, Graves political future is murky at best.  His loos is the state’s gain.

A new and more realistic congressional delegation will represent Louisiana going forward.  Black or white, rich or poor, Democrat or Republican, every Louisianian finally gets a true look at what democracy looks like.