Bennie Thompson, January 6 Committee Chairman, Faces Potential Loss of Seat if Mississippi Adopts 2022 Congressional Map

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Republicans are pushing to approve the state’s 2022 congressional map during an upcoming special legislative session, a step that could dismantle the majority-Black 2nd District and cost longtime Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson his House seat.

Thompson chaired the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. His 2nd District, which stretches across the Mississippi Delta and includes parts of Jackson, is the state’s only majority-Black district and was drawn under prior Voting Rights Act standards that emphasized race to ensure minority representation.

The 2022 map, approved by the Republican-controlled legislature before court intervention, does not prioritize race to the same degree. State Auditor Shad White and other GOP leaders argue the Supreme Court’s April 29 Louisiana v. Callais decision now clears the legal path to use it, noting the ruling sharply limited how courts can require race-based district lines under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Gov. Tate Reeves called the special session for May 20, initially focused on state Supreme Court maps, but pressure is mounting to expand the agenda to congressional boundaries. If adopted, the 2022 lines would likely convert Thompson’s district into a competitive or Republican-leaning seat, flipping Mississippi’s congressional delegation from 3-1 Republican to a potential 4-0 sweep.

Legal experts caution that procedural and timing hurdles remain for implementing new maps before the 2026 midterm filing deadlines, and any change would almost certainly trigger immediate lawsuits. Thompson has called the effort racially motivated and pledged to fight it “until hell freezes over.”

The development marks Mississippi as the sixth Republican-led state to pursue emergency redistricting since the Callais ruling. No final vote has been scheduled on the congressional map.