Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
Louisiana’s governor suspends the state’s congressional primaries after voting had begun, one day after the Supreme Court struck the state’s map
On April 30, 2026, Gov. Jeff Landry signed an order postponing the U.S. House primaries scheduled for May 16 until July 15 or a date set by the Legislature.
What happened
On April 30, 2026, Gov. Jeff Landry signed Executive Order JML 26-038 suspending Louisiana’s closed-party primaries for U.S. House seats, scheduled for May 16 with a second primary on June 27. The order came a day after the Supreme Court, in Louisiana v. Callais, found the state’s congressional map an unconstitutional gerrymander.
The order relied on the secretary of state’s certification of an electoral emergency under R.S. 18:401.1, a statute written for disasters. It postponed the races until July 15 or a date set by the Legislature. Other races on the May 16 ballot proceeded. Landry said holding elections under an invalidated map would undermine the system’s integrity.
Absentee ballots listing the House races had been mailed April 1, and by May 3 the Secretary of State’s office reported more than 42,000 absentee ballots received. Secretary of State Nancy Landry said votes in the House races would not be counted. Four lawsuits challenged the order, and early voting began May 2.
Who benefited
Louisiana Republicans, led by Landry, gained the chance to redraw the map without the second majority-Black district the 2024 legislature created under court order. National Republicans seeking House seats before the midterms gained as well. Landry thanked Attorney General Liz Murrill for the litigation.
Who wanted something
Landry signed the order and had opposed the second district, and Attorney General Liz Murrill argued the case. The state’s Republican legislative leadership wanted time to enact a new map before November, and Landry said the suspension gave the Legislature that time.
Who lost out
Voters who had already requested or cast absentee ballots in a congressional primary that was then cancelled lost their votes. Candidates who had qualified and campaigned lost their races’ timetable. Black voters lost the district the court eliminated, which they had won through earlier Voting Rights Act litigation.
Why it matters
A governor used an electoral-emergency statute to halt a federal primary that was already underway. The mechanism, a certified emergency and a one-page order, is now available for any election a state’s leadership finds inconvenient. It outlasts this map.
Sources Office of Governor Jeff Landry (primary)Louisiana Secretary of State (primary)Democracy DocketLouisiana Illuminator