Republicans are pulling out all the stops, even to the point of doing what Democrats did years ago, to keep control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections.
Starting earlier this century, Democrat-run states engaged in redistricting to squeeze out Republicans and capture more U.S. House seats.
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Ahead of this election cycle, Republican-controlled states are doing the same thing, much to the angst of the opposition party – and with the blessin gof the Supreme Court.
Georgia Republicans are officially joining the nationwide redistricting battle after Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced a special legislative session to redraw the state’s congressional and legislative maps following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.
The special session will begin June 17 and could dramatically reshape Georgia’s political landscape heading into the 2028 election cycle.
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Republicans are openly signaling they intend to dismantle race-based districts that were previously protected under Voting Rights Act precedent.
“The Supreme Court decision is clear,” Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon said after the announcement.
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“That we can’t have these racially gerrymandered maps anymore. They’re illegal,” he added.
Kemp’s executive order directs lawmakers to redraw congressional, state House, and state Senate districts after the Supreme Court significantly narrowed the legal framework surrounding racial considerations in redistricting.
The move places Georgia alongside other Republican-controlled Southern states, including Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana, that are aggressively revisiting district maps after the Court ruled states cannot rely predominantly on race when drawing political boundaries.
Kemp previously indicated that Georgia would not alter maps before the 2026 elections because voting and ballot preparations were already underway.
However, he made clear the state intends to comply with the new legal environment before 2028.
“Voting is already underway for the 2026 elections, but it’s clear that Callais requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle,” Kemp said earlier this month.
Republicans argue the effort is aimed at restoring “race-neutral” districting principles after years of federally mandated racial balancing under Voting Rights Act litigation.
McKoon said the goal is to create districts “rooted in traditional, race-neutral principles,” including compactness and respect for county and municipal lines.
One likely target is Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop.
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The district is one of the last remaining rural majority-Black congressional districts in the Deep South and has long been viewed by Republicans as vulnerable under the new Supreme Court standard.
The redistricting fight comes as Republicans across the country increasingly view the post-Callais environment as an opportunity to expand their congressional advantage ahead of the next decade of elections.
Georgia lawmakers had already redrawn maps once in 2023 after a federal judge ordered the creation of additional majority-Black districts under earlier Voting Rights Act standards. That case remains pending before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Now, however, the Supreme Court’s new precedent has significantly raised the burden for plaintiffs challenging maps on racial grounds, requiring proof of intentional discrimination rather than simply showing racial impact.
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The Georgia move is part of a much broader national redistricting war now unfolding after the Supreme Court ruling.
Louisiana Republicans are already moving to redraw congressional maps after the Court struck down the state’s previous race-based district configuration.
Alabama lawmakers are also pursuing new maps, while Tennessee Republicans are attempting to eliminate the state’s lone Democratic-held congressional district.
Meanwhile, other Republican-led states, including Florida, Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, have either already passed or proposed additional GOP-favorable maps as part of a nationwide effort to strengthen the party’s House majority heading into future election cycles.
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President Donald Trump has openly encouraged Republican-controlled states to act aggressively following the Supreme Court ruling.
“We should demand that State Legislatures do what the Supreme Court says must be done,” Trump wrote recently. “This is going to help us win elections!”
Georgia Democrats immediately attacked Kemp’s decision, accusing Republicans of attempting to solidify long-term political control.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
