Rep. Robert Johnson, the minority leader in Mississippi’s House of Representatives, believes many Republicans’ recent interest in redrawing the state’s congressional lines is “kind of strange” considering the way lawmakers handled redistricting just a few years ago.
Johnson, appearing on MidDays with Gerard Gibert, said Republicans “got what they wanted” when lawmakers passed a new congressional map in 2022 based on the 2020 Census. At the time Democratic lawmakers proposed moving more Democratic and Black voters out of the 2nd District represented by Congressman Bennie Thompson and adding more Republican-heavy areas, including the southern part of Madison County. The move would have made Thompson’s district more compact and less Black with the Democratic hope being that the neighboring 3rd District would become easier to win.
“I find it kind of strange,” Johnson said. “In 2022, when we redistricted, we actually advocated for taking more Democrats and African Americans out of Bennie Thompson’s district and giving him more of Madison County and all of Hinds County.”
Republican lawmakers balked at the idea and instead voted to expand the 2nd District by roughly 60 miles and further preserve its majority-minority status while keeping the state’s remaining districts solidly Republican.
Now, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Callais decision that found race cannot be a predominant factor when drawing voter maps, some Republicans are trying to manifest a 4-0 situation in favor of their party. While some such as Rep. Sam Creekmore believe “3-1 may be the best we can get,” others like Gov. Tate Reeves and Sen. Michael McLendon are adamant that 4-0 is possible.
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Johnson, while not a Republican, thinks if the state’s majority party decides to redraw congressional lines, it may ultimately backfire on them. Picking the 2nd District apart would mean moving built-in Democratic votes to currently red areas and opening the door for purple districts to be born, Creekmore and some political analysts have warned.
“There may be room to do this in other states, but Mississippi has already done what everyone else is talking about now,” Johnson said, pointing to a nationwide surge in states working to remap in favor of their majority parties – both Republican and Democrat.
“90% of the African Americans in this state are Democrats. 40% of the state is African American. There is one Democratic congressman and one African American congressman – both the same person. So, I don’t know where else you’re going to go,” he continued.
Johnson even went as far as to say there is a quiet resistance to redistricting among Mississippi Republicans currently holding congressional offices in Washington.
“Nobody else is talking about this, but the Trent Kelly camp and the Michael Guest camp and the Mike Ezell camp are all – not publicly and openly – but saying, ‘Hey, leave [Thompson] alone, because if you mess with him, you mess with us,” he said.
While Kelly and Guest have not publicly weighed in on the redistricting conversation, Ezell was reserved when asked about it on Mornings with Richard Cross on May 13.
“I think we should do exactly what the legislature wants us to do, according to what’s best for the state,” said Ezell, who represents the 4th District.
Thompson, on the other hand, has vowed to keep fighting for his seat and his district – even as he bears the brunt of the redistricting conversation.
