Tensions overflow in Mississippi Senate retooling

Despite pockets of limited opposition, the Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives voted last week to adopt district line changes in the wake of the 2020 Census.

Nearly every boundary in both lawmaking bodies covering the state’s 82 counties faced either slight or major adjustments due to population changes.

By a 37-5 margin, the Senate — with most Democrats eventually joining their Republican counterparts — approved a redistricting plan.

However, Black senators noted they felt the plan, as adopted, diluted minority voter strength, and they tried to amend it without success.

However, the main point of contention with the Senate’s redistricting plan came when parts of District 37 — a seat currently held by Republican Melanie Sojourner, R-Natchez, and which includes portions of Franklin County — was combined with District 36, which is held by Democrat Albert Butler of Port Gibson.

While the change was reportedly necessitated to create a new Senate district in Smith and south Rankin counties, Sojourner characterized the move as an “intentional” and “mean-spirited” move by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann to end her senate career by eliminating her district.

“(Hosemann) used gerrymandering to erase a Republican seat from southwest Mississippi, and silenced a conservative Republican woman,” Sojourner said.

“And he lied to the state of Mississippi. Using redistricting as a tool of retribution, Hosemann turned the territory of District 37 into a Democrat stronghold. 

“Hosemann’s map increases District 37’s Black Voting Age Population to more than 60 percent and thereby guarantees a Democrat victory.”

Sojourner said the lieutenant governor’s contention that population shifts across Mississippi over the past 10 years as measured by the Census made any other outcome virtually impossible was nonsense.

“It wasn’t a change in population; it was a change in his professed principles (as a Republican),” Sojourner said of Hoseman.

“The so-called population shift was not the cause of District 37’s elimination. On the contrary, the population shift in the Delta should never have impacted a Southwest Mississippi (senate) district.”

Sojourner said she had worked with election law attorneys and senate map makers to come up with a trio of alternate proposals to not only secure District 37, but also would have protected all of the state’s Republican lawmakers. 

“Unfortunately, Hosemann only allowed me to present one of the amendments before the debate was ended,” she continued. “My three proposed amendments complied with the Constitution, the Voting Rights Act and state law.”  

Sojourner claimed one of her suggested amendments would have redrawn district maps to include a new district in Rankin County while merging two Democrat districts. 

“Under my proposal, Republicans would have gained at least one additional seat in the chamber,” she added. “On the other hand, Hosemann’s map redrew districts to protect Democrats and make them a stronger party.”  

A long-time Sojourner supporter, District 42 Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, unsuccessfully tried to amend the Senate plan to help Sojourner and had heated debates with other Republican senators after accusing them of “racial gerrymandering.”

The five votes cast against the Senate redistricting plan were from Republicans allied with both Sojourner and McDaniel.

“Whatever the future holds, serving as the senator from District 37 is an honor, and I continue to support the people of Mississippi with my best efforts,” Sojourner said following the vote.

“I never dreamed I would see a day where a Republican would push a map that would eliminate a Republican seat.”

Through a written statement, Hosemann, who did not specifically cite or respond to Sojourner’s concerns, said the new legislative redistricting plan secures 36 strong Republican seats moving into the 2023 election cycle.

Other Republicans said they believed the redistricting boundaries were redrawn fairly — based on population changes found by the Census and the laws governing such efforts.

They further suggested Sojourner’s district was shifted to what will be a heavily Republican district in Rankin and Smith counties because of population growth there.

Fifteen of the senate’s 52 seats, based on the adopted plan, have a majority African-American representation.

With the approved Senate redistricting plan, Franklin County is divided between two districts:

• The new District 37 (formerly District 36) will include the Antioch, Bude, Eddiceton, Hamburg, Knoxville, Meadville, Pine Grove, Roxie, Wesley Chapel and Whittington precincts.

The district also takes in parts of Claiborne, Jefferson, Adams and Copiah counties.

• District 39 will include the Bad Bayou, Cains, Lucien and McCall Creek precincts.

Portions of Amite, Lawrence, Lincoln and Pike also make up the district which is currently represented by Jason Barrett, R-Brookhaven.

Prior to the new redistricting plan, no portion of Franklin County was in either Albert or Barrett’s districts.

In the House, the vote was 81-37 in favor of the final redistricting plan with most of the Democrats in that chamber voting against that proposal as offered.

The major changes on the House side came with one current Republican seat — District 20, which includes Itawamba, Lee and Monroe counties — and one Democrat seat — District 33, which includes Grenada, Tallahatchie and Yalobusha counties — being dissolved to allow for new districts to be formed in DeSoto and Harrison counties.

House Minority Leader, District 94 Rep. Robert L. Johnson III, D-Natchez, criticized his chamber’s post-Census boundary proposal by saying the plan preserved the state’s Republican majority and was not realistic in light of Mississippi’s population.

“All we are saying is let a redistricting plan reflect the population and people of Mississippi,” Johnson, whose district includes the western portion of Franklin County, said.

“We ought to be in this body in a balanced manner that takes care of everybody in the state.”

Under the plan that was ultimately adopted, Johnson noted 42 of the 122 seats in the House had African-American majorities — maintaining what he called a “status quo” effect.

“People of color make up close to 44 percent of the state,” Johnson continued. “Forty-two districts are only 34 percent of the state. Let a redistricting plan reflect the population and the people of Mississippi.”

Johnson offered an unsuccessful plan to add five majority-Black districts in the House and 10 districts that would have provided for more African American influence by increasing their population numbers significantly.

Through the House plan adopted last week, Franklin County is divided between four seats:

• Hamburg and Roxie precincts are in District 94, which also takes in portions of Adams and Jefferson counties.

• Knoxville and Wesley Chapel precincts are in Johnson’s District 97, which also takes in portions of Adams, Amite and Pike counties.

Sam C. Mims V, R-McComb, currently serves as the district’s representative.

• Antioch, Bude, Eddiceton, Meadville, Pine Grove and Whittington precincts are in District 85, which also takes in portions of Jefferson, Claiborne and Warren counties.

Jeffery Harness, D-Fayette, currently serves as the district’s representative.

• Bad Bayou, Cains, McCall Creek and Lucien precincts are in District 53, which also takes in portions of Pike, Lincoln and Lawrence counties.

Vince Mangold, R-Brookhaven, currently serves as the district’s representative.

Now, members of the Senate and House must approve the other chamber’s plans to conclude the redistricting process that is conducted every 10 years in the wake of the decennial U.S. Census, which measures the population of the state and nation.