Reeves cancels special session, likely leaving Bennie Thompson’s district intact

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced he would cancel a planned special legislative session to consider redrawing the state’s four congressional districts, a move Mississippi Today said likely preserves the majority-Black seat held by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.

Mississippi Today reported Republican leaders faced unique challenges in attempting to eliminate the state’s only majority-Black district, noting the state has about a 38% Black population and that Black voters in Mississippi overwhelmingly favor Democrats while white voters back Republicans at higher rates than in any other state, the outlet said.

The report said mapmakers would still have to follow the one-person, one-vote rule, which requires nearly equal populations across districts, and that removing a majority-Black district would likely produce one or two districts with Black populations above 40%, making them competitive or leaning Democratic.

Mississippi Today recounted that in 2022, Thompson sought to move parts of Hinds and south Madison counties into his 2nd District to make it more compact; the Republican-controlled Legislature instead extended the district along the Mississippi River. The outlet said the state’s already-held primary elections would complicate any mid-decade redistricting this year.

The report said Reeves, an ally of President Donald Trump who has urged states to redraw maps to create more Republican districts, faced pressure to act but opted not to call the session. Mississippi Today also cited a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling — identified in the report as Louisiana v. Callais — as having altered the legal landscape for drawing minority districts.

Mississippi Today included a photo credit to Eric Shelton showing Thompson at a March 18, 2025, town hall in Vicksburg, where the congressman discussed budget impacts on agriculture, education and benefits programs, the outlet said.

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