Alabama Republicans look to set new US House primaries if courts allow
redistricting
[May 08, 2026]
By KIM CHANDLER, JEFFREY COLLINS and DAVID A. LIEB
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers looking to take part in a
national redistricting battle could vote Friday on a plan to alter
state's congressional primaries if the courts allow Republican state
officials to switch to more advantageous U.S. House maps ahead of the
November midterm elections.
The Alabama legislation, which needs only a final Senate vote to go to
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, seeks to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court
ruling in a Louisiana case that significantly weakened Voting Rights Act
protections for minorities.
Republicans in Southern states have moved quickly to try to capitalize
on the case. Tennessee enacted new congressional districts Thursday that
carve up a Democratic-held, Black-majority district in Memphis.
Louisiana postponed its U.S. House primaries as lawmakers work to enact
new districts. And Republicans in the South Carolina House also have
proposed a new U.S. House map.
Even before the high court ruling, Republicans and Democrats already
were engaged in a fierce redistricting battle, each seeking an edge in
the midterm elections that will determine control of the closely divided
House.
Since President Donald Trump prodded Texas to redraw its congressional
districts last summer, a total of nine states have adopted new House
districts. From that, Republicans think they could gain as many as 14
seats while Democrats think they could gain up to 10. But the parties
may not get everything they sought, because the gerrymandering could
backfire in some highly competitive districts.
Alabama primaries could be in flux
Alabama has asked federal judges to lift a court order requiring the
state to have a second district where Black voters are the majority or
close to it. That district gave rise in 2024 to the election of
Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures, who is Black.
Republicans instead want to put in place a map lawmakers drew in 2023 —
which was rejected by a federal court — that could allow them to reclaim
Figures’ district. Black residents currently make up about 48% of the
district’s voting-age population. That would drop to about 39% under the
2023 map.
Republicans hope the federal courts will see the case differently in the
wake of the Supreme Court’s Louisiana decision. If a court grants
Alabama’s request, the legislation under consideration would ignore the
May 19 primary for some congressional seats and direct the governor to
schedule a new primary under the revised districts.
“It is an if, and only if, the courts take action,” Republican state
Sen. Chris Elliott said.
The House passed the legislation on a party-line vote Wednesday, and a
Senate committee on Thursday advanced it to the full chamber.
Black representation at issue in Alabama
Addressing the Senate committee, Figures said his concern isn’t for
himself but for the people who fought for decades “to have a voice in
what government looks like.”
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Democratic state Sen. Vivian Figures speaks on SB 1, a redistricting
bill, during a special session of the Alabama Legislature,
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
“I ran into a gentleman last night, and he said, ‘Hey man, I hear
your job is on the line.’ And I told him, 'No, Shomari Figures is
going to be OK. Your voice is on the line,'” Figures said.
Some Democrats noted that the state’s segregationist past isn’t that
long ago, and it was districts created under the Voting Rights Act
that gave rise to Black representation after centuries of
disenfranchisement.
“How long are we going to have to repeat history before we realize
that all people deserve to be respected and deserve to have the
feeling that they are valued?” asked Democratic state Sen. Linda
Coleman-Madison, who is Black.
South Carolina Republicans unveil proposal for new House map
Republicans in the South Carolina House distributed a proposed new
U.S. House map Thursday. It would give the GOP an improved chance at
winning the only seat currently held by a Democrat.
The proposal would take Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn out of the
6th District he has represented since 1992 while splitting the
district into four different ones. Clyburn's current district is
made up of nearly 50% Black voters and in the 2024 presidential
election, greater than 60% of residents voted for Democrat Kamala
Harris.
The proposed map also would split the Democratic stronghold of
Columbia and its redder suburbs into four different districts.
The state House on Wednesday approved a resolution giving lawmakers
permission to return after the May 14 end of their regular work to
continue consideration of a redistricting plan. But the Senate on
Thursday delayed a decision on the resolution, because members
wanted some idea of what the new districts could look like,
Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said.
After the House plan was released, Massey cited continued concerns.
He said as many as four districts could become competitive,
requiring substantial support for Republican candidates and hurting
down-ballot races for the party.
“If we get too cute with this, we could end up losing seats,” Massey
said.
The state’s primary elections are June 9.
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Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina, and Lieb from
Jefferson City, Missouri.
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