Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) said on Friday he won’t seek re-election, citing an April decision from the Supreme Court that found the state’s congressional maps violated the Voting Rights Act, forcing the state to change its congressional maps. Graves added in his statement that “after much input from constituents, consultation with supporters, consensus from family, and guidance from the Almighty,” he decided not to seek re-election. The Black population of Louisiana’s 6th district, which Graves represents, will jump from 23 percent to 54 percent, according to analysis done by Democracy Docket. The congressman lambasted the maps, saying they were “not fair” to Louisianans who will be “tossed into yet another district,” by a Supreme Court which he said acted “lazily” in creating a “unconstitutional, confusing map,” according to WBRZ 2 Baton Rouge. The new Black majority district could go Democratic in the next election, although no Democrats have thrown their hats into the ring yet. Previously, the district voted Democratic in the 2022 midterm elections and went for Biden in 2020.
