Mississippi's governor, Tate Reeves, has pulled a classic political move: scheduling a special legislative session to redraw the state's supreme court districts, then canceling it before anyone could show up. On Wednesday morning, the Republican governor announced the cancellation, though he assured listeners on SuperTalk radio - a conservative talk radio network, because where else would one announce such things? - that he does expect the state to redraw its four congressional districts at some point in the near future. Just not, you know, right now.
Reeves also admitted on the radio that redrawing congressional districts to favor Republicans in time for the November midterm elections would be difficult. Doing so might even hurt Republicans in congressional races, which is the political equivalent of saying you'd like to bake a cake but the oven might explode. Mississippi held its primary elections for congressional seats in March, before the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais ruling narrowed a key protection of the Voting Rights Act and spurred a number of Republican-led states to reconfigure their maps. But an immediate redrawing aimed at eliminating Democratic seats would likely mean invalidating primary results and making firmly Republican areas more competitive by adding more Democratic voters - the opposite of the desired outcome.
In a post on X following the news, Reeves clarified, "Just to clarify, I said I expect lawmakers to redraw congressional lines BETWEEN NOW and 2027 elections! I also expect them to redraw legislative and Supreme Court lines between now and 2027 elections!" So, no rush. He made clear his desire to target Democratic congressman Bennie Thompson's seat, the state's lone congressional Democrat and the longest-serving Black elected official in Mississippi and Congress. Thompson represents Mississippi's second congressional district, a 275-mile stretch encompassing much of the predominantly Black Mississippi Delta. Reeves said he is working with the Trump administration on the timing and method of redrawing districts, adding, "It is not a question of if, it's a question of when."