Governor Brian Kemp called a special session for June 17 to redraw Georgia's congressional districts for the 2028 election cycle. Gov. Kemp made the call just a few weeks after the United States Supreme Court's ruling striking down a Louisiana district for relying too heavily on race.
Although the ruling technically kept the section of the Voting Rights Act prohibiting racial gerrymandering intact, the ruling will make challenging maps that dilute minority voting power more difficult.
Several Republican states called for a redrawing of their congressional maps after the ruling, including Florida, which could gain Republicans several seats in the Congress with its new maps.
As Republicans continue to hold a slim majority in Congress, each seat is crucial for both parties hoping to hold the most power in Congress after the midterm elections.
Gov. Kemp's decision to redraw Georgia's maps for 2028 comes almost two weeks after he rejected calls for redistricting ahead of the November midterms because early voting started before the April 29 Supreme Court decision.
Currently, Republicans hold nine of the 14 U.S. House districts in Georgia, and could gain up to two additional seats with redistricting.
The nine Republicans representing Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives now are Representatives Mike Collins, Buddy Carter, Clay Fuller, Barry Loudermilk, Austin Scott, Brian Jack, Andrew Clyde and Rick Allen.
The four Democrats are Representatives Hank Johnson, Sanford Bishop, Lucy McBath and Nikeme Williams. Rep. David Scott died last month, so his seat is currently vacant with a special election set for July to elect his replacement for the remainder of his term.
The special session to discuss the new maps will likely focus on flipping District 2 in southwest Georgia, which Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop has held for 17 consecutive terms.
It is unclear what other districts the GOP could target, but some experts are urging caution as redistricting could dilute Republican voting power in other areas and backfire on the majority party.
With Kemp leaving office in January, Republicans are rushing to get new maps signed before a new governor, who could be a Democrat, takes office.
