Sen. Gerald Boudreaux calls new congressional district plan ‘a sigh of relief’

Britt Lofaso
·2 min read
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LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The end of the first special session under Governor Jeff Landry ended Friday with a big win for Black voters. The state now has its second majority-black congressional district.

As of the 2020 census, 32.6% of Louisiana’s over 4.5 million people are Black. Until Friday, the state had just one out of six districts, less than 17%, with a majority Black population. Supporters say with two of the six districts now being majority Black, voters should have more proportionate representation.

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State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux (D-Lafayette) said the numbers just didn’t add up.

“The African-American population in Louisiana has grown, but there has not been any demonstration with the maps to reflect those,” Boudreaux said. “In the past, the majority of the African-Americans were compressed into one district, that’s the New Orleans district. Now it’ll be more evenly allocated throughout the state.”

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The new 6th District runs through the state from Baton Rouge to Shreveport which, according to The New York Times, would make the district include about 54 percent of Black voters. It will be the second majority-Black district in the state, alongside Rep. Troy Carter’s (D-La.) 2nd Congressional District.

The new map followed a lengthy legal battle over the lines, which ended with a decision from a federal appeals court that said the state had to add a second majority-Black district by the middle of this month.

Boudreaux said this sends a positive message of unity to the citizens of our state.

“I wish it would be one of hope,” he said. “By the same token, I also feel strongly that it sends a message that we can and we should and we will work together. While I said earlier, there are winners and losers, the 33% of the population of this state who felt like they weren’t adequately represented in Congress, today have a sigh of relief.”

Boudreaux said the timing of the decision was fortuitous.

“For the changes, it’s never easy but the irony of coming on the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King and his dream and what we stood for, there’s something special,” he said. “I hope it will be the catapult to lead us into another era where everything doesn’t have to be confrontational, everything doesn’t have to be so divisive. We can work together and we can bring this state as one unit respecting each and every one of our members, our citizens, our race, our religion, all of those things not just from the mouths of people but from their hearts.”

The new districts will take effect in the next congressional election. The 2024 primary election will be held Nov. 5, with runoffs if necessary on Dec. 7.

The Associated Press also contributed to this story.

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