Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) on Thursday suspended next month’s House primary elections so state lawmakers can pass a new congressional map first, as states face pressure from Republican leaders to redraw districts in time for the midterms.
His executive order followed a Supreme Court decision Wednesday that found Louisiana had unlawfully discriminated by race when it created a second majority-Black congressional district under legal pressure. A new Louisiana map would position Republicans to gain one or two seats in the midterms.
The ruling added fuel to a partisan brawl to redraw districts before the midterm elections as Republicans try to cling to their narrow House majority. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Tennessee’s governor told him Republicans would redistrict that state, but it wasn’t clear whether that would happen before or after this fall’s elections.
Landry privately told Republican House candidates Wednesday of his plan to suspend House primaries in his state, according to two people with knowledge of the calls who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Under his executive order, the legislature would schedule new House elections after passing a new congressional map; other races on the May 16 ballot would not be affected.
“The best way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race. Here in Louisiana, we’re proud to lead the nation on this charge,” Landry said in a X post announcing his order. “Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters.”
The 6-3 Supreme Court decision limited a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act and could lead to Black Democrats across the South losing their House seats. Most states are unlikely to be able to redraw districts in time for the November midterm elections, but a few states could be exceptions.
Louisiana election officials sent ballots to overseas voters weeks ago, and early voting was set to begin Saturday. Louisiana has six House seats, two of which are held by Democrats. The House races will still appear on primary ballots, but votes will not be counted, officials said.
Rep. Cleo Fields (D), whose Louisiana district was ruled unlawful, said the governor’s order is “the wrong move.”
“Rather than disenfranchising voters mid-election to redraw maps for political gain, we should let this election proceed as planned under the existing districts and address any redistricting in the proper cycle,” Fields said in a statement. “The fundamental right of every Louisianan to have their vote counted must not be sacrificed for a rushed political agenda.”
The Republican primary for the Senate is also on the ballot, in which Sen. Bill Cassidy faces challenges from Rep. Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming.
In an X post, Cassidy said Landry’s “decision to move ahead with the Senate race during a confusing time is disappointing. Now, it’s up to all of us to help people understand what’s happening and make sure voters know how to cast their votes over the next two weeks.”
Fleming said he supported the plan in light of the Supreme Court’s decision but cautioned that it could perplex voters who would have to go to the polls on different dates to vote in the House and Senate primaries.
“There’s no question that this is going to cause confusion,” he said.
Ashley K. Shelton, the founder of the Power Coalition, a statewide voter education nonprofit, said she and her team have been “scrambling all morning, talking to lawyers” and expects a legal challenge to the governor’s announcement.
“The elections are already underway. Moving it now means erasing their votes,” Shelton added, adding that her group has run radio ads and billboards noting early voting starts Saturday.
Richard Hasen, a law professor at UCLA and director of the school’s Safeguarding Democracy Project, said Landry’s unusual plan did not appear to conflict with federal voting laws but is complicated by court procedures. A lower-court order remains in effect for now barring the state from making changes to its map, and the state is asking the Supreme Court to expedite lifting that order.
Hasen described the suspension of primaries as “naked partisanship.”
“But under the Supreme Court’s approach to voting now, naked partisanship is more of a defense than an indictment,” he said.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he spoke to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) on Thursday and received assurances from him and other state political leaders that they would redraw the state’s lone Democratic-leaning district.
Trump said Tennessee’s action would give Republicans an extra seat, but he did not address whether that would happen before the midterm elections. Lee’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The Democrat representing the Memphis-area district being targeted vowed to fight back.
“Trump and the GOP are coming for the power of Black voters in Memphis,” Rep. Steve Cohen posted on X. “I’m not backing down. My team and I are already in touch with experienced voting rights attorneys to try and stop this.”
The Supreme Court decision comes amid a broader fight over redrawing congressional lines for partisan gain that has been raging since last summer. President Donald Trump urged Republican-led states to carve up their maps to capture more districts. Democrats responded in kind by redrawing the maps of states they control and filing lawsuits.
So far, Republicans have drawn 13 districts in five states in their favor, and Democrats have secured more favorable lines in 10 districts in three states.
The timing of the redrawing is extremely unusual. Normally, states draw new lines once every 10 years, at the beginning of the decade when they receive census data showing how populations have shifted.
Erin Cox contributed to this report.
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