Groups across the Gulf South are organizing, holding rallies and pushing back against efforts to eliminate Black congressional districts.

The congressional map with one less Democratic district will go before the House Governmental Affairs Committee Thursday morning.

After voters rejected the constitutional amendment to combine education funds to help pay for permanent teacher pay raises, Gov. Jeff Landry made a social media post saying that if teachers do not get a pay raise, then no one in state government will get one.

The map favors the re-election of a Democrat in District 2, which is currently occupied by Congressman Troy Carter.

Louisiana lawmakers have advanced a Republican-backed map that would drop Louisiana to just one congressional district that favors Democrats.

Republicans prevailed in a 4-3 party-line vote to approve Senate Bill 121, which keeps a single majority-Black district that stretches from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.

The state’s official revenue forecast was lowered by more than $200 million across the next two budget years.

The party breakdown for early voting is 44% Democratic, 41% Republican, and 15% no party.

A full day of public testimony took place Friday, marred by several disruptions over new congressional maps during the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee meeting.

The petition must collect 500,000 signatures from Louisiana's 2.5 million active registered voters in the next 180 days.