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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry was guilty last week of what is often called “the pot calling the kettle black.” That phrase means someone is being hypocritical by criticizing another for a fault they share themselves. The Advocate reported on Friday that Landry on Thursday said Democratic opposition to the Legislature’s plan to change the dates of next year’s closed party primaries is politically motivated. He said delaying the spring primary election is “about being responsible and responsive” to any Supreme Court ruling that may come down this year on the state’s current congressional election map. “They want to trap us in a 4-2 map,” Landry said, referring to Louisiana’s four majority-White and two majority-Black districts. “This is pure politics.” Landry added, “If the Supreme Court does give us a decision by the end of the year, we could quickly go into session and draw a 5-1 map if that’s what the Legislature wishes to do.” The U.S. Supreme Court last week heard arguments in a major Louisiana voting rights case. The justices’ eventual ruling could lead to major changes to the Voting Rights Act, a law aimed at increasing Black political representation. It could also alter how race can be used as a factor when drawing voting maps. What Landry and GOP lawmakers are hoping they can do is eliminate a majority-Black congressional district and they might even be able to eliminate both majority-Black congressional districts. That is definitely politics at its worst. So if Democrats are playing politics, Republicans are just as guilty. Democrats continued to criticize the legislation. State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, wanted to know why it would be so harmful to people to be represented by the current congressional districts, and “what is the harm” in having two African Americans in Congress? Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport, said Republicans were being disingenuous about the potential impact of pushing back the election. “We should not try to pass it off to the public that we are changing a date,” Jenkins said. “We’re putting into place a procedure, a procedure that could very much be complicated, convoluted, complex and could very much be infringing on voters’ participation in the upcoming election.” Jenkins said changing the rules for just one election “is very suspect.” He pressed Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, the Port Allen Republican sponsoring the legislation, repeatedly on this point. But Kleinpeter remained firm that it merely amounts to a change of dates. “We change laws all the time,” he said. “All we’re doing is preparing ourselves in case the Supreme Court comes back with a certain ruling,” Kleinpeter said. Jenkins insisted that lawmakers are “too doggone close” to the 2026 election cycle to make changes. “The midterm election process is already underway,” said Jenkins. He was referring to the fact that the window has already opened to collect signatures to qualify by nominating petitions for 2026 congressional races. Here is what is happening at the current special legislative session: Right now, closed party primaries for major races like U.S. House and Senate and some municipal primary races are set for April 18. A subsequent election is scheduled on May 30 for municipal general races and, if needed, a runoff for the closed party primary contests. Those elections would be pushed back to May 16 and June 27. Instead of mid-January, qualifying for the races would happen Feb. 11-13. The Advocate reported the Louisiana Senate on Saturday morning swiftly passed Republican bills to push back the April primary elections by a month. Kleinpeter is sponsoring Senate Bills 1 and 2 that passed 27-9, with Republicans in favor and Democrats against. SB 1 is the election date change bill and SB 2 says five proposed constitutional amendments would also appear on the May 16 ballot. Kleinpeter said he expected to present his two bills before the House and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday, and they would be debated on the House floor today. Of the special session as a whole, if all goes as planned and the two bills gain final approval, which is expected, Kleinpeter said the session would end today. This is a session that didn’t need to happen. Landry only called it in hopes the Legislature would be able to eliminate at least one and maybe the state’s two majority-Black congressional districts.
