Representative Bennie Thompson, Mississippi's sole Black and Democratic Congressman, is facing a direct threat to his district and the voting rights of his constituents following a Supreme Court decision that has effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This decision, hailed as “red meat” by Thompson, has emboldened Republican legislators in Mississippi to explicitly target him by threatening to redraw the 2nd congressional district, a move that could severely undermine Black political power in the state.

Thompson warned that the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Section 2 in Louisiana v. Callais creates an opportunity for voter suppression tactics, reminiscent of the Jim Crow era. He pointed to historical examples of voter suppression, such as requiring Black voters to guess the number of bubbles in a bar of soap, as indicative of the “bad behavior” that federal protections under the VRA were designed to prevent. The weakening of these protections now leaves Black voters vulnerable to renewed attempts at disenfranchisement.

The attack on Thompson's district is not subtle. Andy Gipson, the state's agriculture commissioner and a Republican gubernatorial candidate, has publicly called for redrawing the lines to hurt Thompson's electoral chances. Shad White, the state's auditor and another likely Republican candidate, has echoed these sentiments, claiming the district is already gerrymandered and needs to be redrawn.

Since Thompson's election in 1993, his district has been subjected to redistricting by Republican-controlled legislatures. The last redrawing added four rural counties – Adams, Amite, Wilkinson, and Franklin – despite Thompson’s suggestion to include more of the Hinds and Madison counties, further illustrating the partisan manipulation at play.

The current configuration of the 2nd congressional district, spanning nearly 300 miles without public transportation, makes it incredibly difficult for Thompson to effectively represent his constituents. The need to fly into neighboring states to reach all parts of his district underscores the challenges created by partisan gerrymandering.

Mississippi's history is marred by the systemic disenfranchisement of Black voters. Following a period of Black political empowerment during Reconstruction, white legislators enacted the “Mississippi Plan,” which employed tactics such as poll taxes, felony disenfranchisement, and literacy tests to suppress Black voter turnout. By 1964, only a mere 6.7% of eligible Black Mississippians were registered to vote. The passage of the VRA in 1965 marked a turning point, leading to increased Black voter registration and representation, but these gains are now at risk.