Mississippi redistricting debate intensifies after Supreme Court ruling
Mississippi redistricting debate intensifies after Supreme Court ruling State officials divided over potential congressional map changes following Callais v. Louisiana decision JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi could become the next state to redraw congressional district lines following last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Callais v. Louisiana. The court voted 6-3 that Louisiana’s congressional map amounted to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. Republicans in Florida, Alabama and Tennessee have cited the decision as grounds to redraw their districts. Mississippi State Auditor Shad White has been vocal on social media for months about redrawing the state’s second congressional district, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who has held the seat for more than 30 years. “The Callais decision was a good decision for the country,” White said. Callais v. Louisiana centered on Louisiana’s sixth congressional district. Plaintiffs claimed the lines were racially gerrymandered to create a second majority-Black district. The court ruled in favor of Callais. White said Thompson’s district was drawn along racial lines. “Congressman Thompson’s congressional district was specifically drawn along the lines of race, and to me that is a form of racial bias,” White said. Thompson calls potential redraw ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ Thompson responded to the redistricting push in an interview. “This is Jim Crow 2.0,” Thompson said. “The African American population is 38% of Mississippi, so it’s highly unlikely that you can draw 38% of the population out of the political process.” Recent state senate redistricting created majority-minority districts Freshman state Senator Theresa Gillespie-Isom represents parts of DeSoto and Tunica counties. Her district, Senate District 2, was part of the state’s special election last year after a court ordered nine state senate districts to be redrawn due to violations of the Voting Rights Act. The action created more majority-minority districts. District 2 went from a Black voting-age population of 33% to 50% after the redraw. Gillespie-Isom won 63% of the vote. “I was surprised, but I was just so happy because I had worked so hard at trying to win this election,” Gillespie-Isom said. She added that she did feel she had a fairer shot with the redrawn lines. State Sen. Reginald Jackson, whose family has been in state politics for decades, represents the district south of Gillespie-Isom, District 11. His district’s Black voting population lowered during the 2025 redraw, from 62% to 53%, giving more Black voters to neighboring districts. Jackson voted against the maps the legislature put forth, but said he had to run no matter what district they put him in. Jackson’s district, which spans from Quitman County to northern DeSoto County, re-elected him during the special election with 67% of the vote. White criticizes race-based district classifications White takes issue with districts being classified by race majority. “It just presumes that people of a certain color think a certain way or vote a certain way,” White said. “It’s just not a good, common-sense way of drawing a district. I think it leads to great racial animus, not less.” Democrats argue the timeframe of a potential redraw wouldn’t allow for proper elections. “We already had our primaries. I won 86% of our primary vote in a three-way race. I’m looking to the November general election,” Thompson said. White said if officials act quickly, there is enough time, but every day that goes by makes it harder. Both sides of the political aisle are expecting tensions to be high in Jackson during the special session. “We are in a prime position to show the United States of America what Mississippi really is all about,” Jackson said. “Bennie Thompson will be there with a whole bunch of folks with bells on, saying that this is not who we are. ‘Jim Crow 2.0′ shouldn’t exist,” Thompson said. White said the Callais ruling made it clear that states have the legal authority to redraw lines, but all of these issues will be litigated in court. “There’s nothing stopping them from doing that. The big question is, will they have the courage to do that?” White said. Some state Republicans have urged caution in potential redrawing, concerned that more Democratic voters in red districts could raise the chances for more Democratic lawmakers. White said there are ways to draw the lines in a way that prevents that. Thompson, Jackson and Gillespie-Isom all said they plan on running for reelection if their district lines are redrawn. Click here to sign up for our newsletter! Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline. Copyright 2026 WMC. All rights reserved.
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