Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) will not seek reelection in 2024 after redistricting shifted his once-solid-red seat into the favor of Democrats, arguing a run in another district is “not fair” to his fellow House Republicans.
Graves had been undecided for months on which district he would run for reelection in after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana must hold its 2024 congressional elections using a map that has two majority-black districts.
“It is evident that a run in any temporary district will cause actual permanent damage to Louisiana’s great representation in Congress,” Graves said in a statement Friday. “Campaigning in any of these districts now is not fair to any of the Louisianians who will inevitably be tossed into yet another district next year.”
The decision to use the map with two majority-black districts in January shifted Graves’s district from “likely Republican” into a “solid Democrat” seat with a +8 Democratic advantage, according to the Cook Political Report as of May 24.
In a statement to the Louisiana Illuminator in May, Graves had said he was still running for reelection but had been “looking through these districts to determine where we can best represent the interests and priorities of the people of Louisiana for the next two years until a reasonable map is restored.”
Redistricting shifted most of Graves’s base to Rep. Julia Letlow’s (R-LA) 5th Congressional District. If he had opted to run for reelection and challenge her, Letlow would have likely held a significant advantage in the primary.
Graves, a five-term incumbent, thanked both his home state and Congress for his years of service but lamented over what he described as a lost chance to chair an important House committee.
“The consequences of redistricting will affect Louisiana’s first opportunity in history to chair the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” Graves said, highlighting the importance of the committee’s work to the Bayou State’s ports and commerce.
“Admittedly, it is a serious disappointment to miss the historic opportunity to champion Louisiana’s priorities in this committee,” the congressman continued.
Some viewed the decision to alter Graves’s district as revenge by Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA), who approved the maps that ultimately cut out Graves’s area. Graves positioned himself against Landry during the GOP gubernatorial primary in 2023, endorsing former Louisiana Association of Business and Industry leader Stephen Waguespack instead.
Landry’s subsequent move to greenlight the new maps led some to view it as throwing Graves under the bus to settle a political score. The Louisiana governor said he approved the maps to avoid an even more Democratic-friendly map.
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Graves joins over 40 representatives who are not seeking reelection to the House, some of them after decades of serving on Capitol Hill.
The mass exodus from the House coincides with a tumultuous year for the Republican conference marked by bouts of infighting over spending deals, the speaker’s gavel, foreign aid, and more.
