Garret Graves Out!

Garret Graves, a U.S. Representative from Baton Rouge retires after his Republican allies threw him under the bus for the more controversial Julia Letlow in redistricting battle.

Another frustrated Republican.

Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) was drawn out of his district due to the Supreme Court's controversial decision on gerrymandering. Mind you that the Court allowed Alabama and Louisiana mandatory redrawing to remain while bucking on Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois and Texas.

Graves announced he will retire at the end of his term. It will be a district that may serve another Black constituency which could earn the Democrats a possible seat.

Graves is a five term U.S. Representative from Baton Rouge has a district that covers portions of the city, Lafayette, Alexandria and parts of Shreveport. The corridor is Interstate 10 and Interstate 49. It is slithered around the Mississippi River.

Graves and Rep. Judy Letlow (R-LA) were on the chopping block with this redistricting.

Letlow was spared. Former president Donald J. Trump and Louisiana Republicans backed her over Graves. The Republicans probably backed her because she's a widow (Republican Rep-elect Luke Letlow died before serving) and her seniority as a two term member. They didn't want a costly and bruising primary battle between the two.

Luke Letlow died from the coronavirus. He was an anti-vaxxer and election denier. 

Letlow resigned from her teaching position to run for the seat.

She easily won and served since 2021.

“After much input from constituents, consultation with supporters, consensus from family, and guidance from the Almighty, it is clear that running for Congress this year does not make sense,” Graves said in a written statement. 

The congressman said he believed Louisiana’s most recent congressional map would eventually be struck down, but not in time for the November election.

“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,” he wrote. 

He faced unfavorable options for seeking reelection in November.

State lawmakers, with the blessing of Landry, reconfigured Graves’ 6th Congressional District to have a majority-Black population and favor a Democrat. The congressman could have run in the adjoining 5th District, but it is represented by fellow Republican Julia Letlow, the widow of Graves’ close friend Luke Letlow and the preferred choice of the Republican establishment.

Louisiana’s GOP leaders, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, made it clear they would back Letlow over Graves in a head-to-head match by issuing a series of early endorsements for her several weeks ago.

Graves with Julia Letlow.

A recent court ruling over Louisiana’s new congressional districts also didn’t go Graves’ way. The map that alters his 6th District will be in effect on Election Day, making it difficult for him to stay in Congress. 

“This has been an amazing experience resulting in thousands of new friendships and unrivaled progress for the area we represent. In this divisive and politically-polarized environment, to receive over 80 percent of the vote in the last election confirms that we were getting it mostly right. Thank you for the opportunity to serve,” Graves said Friday.

The political career of Graves, 52, might have been cut short – at least for the time being – by the collision of two political events.

A federal court insisted Louisiana rework its congressional districts to give Black voters an opportunity at better representation. Graves also got into political fights with two of Louisiana’s most powerful Republicans: Landry and U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

A federal judge told state lawmakers they needed to convert one more of its congressional seats into a majority-Black district to better reflect the state’s demographics. Over 30% of Louisiana residents identify as Black, but only one of the state’s six U.S. House districts had a majority-Black population.

The ruling meant one of Louisiana’s five Republican representatives in Congress was likely to lose their seat. 

Graves made himself the odd man out last year when he toyed with running against Landry for governor. He also didn’t publicly support Scalise’s push to become House speaker, which occurred last fall before Johnson, another Louisiana Republican, won the job.

Legislators didn’t hesitate to target Graves’ district for dismantling when they voted to redraw the congressional districts in January. Legal challenges to the latest congressional map remain but likely won’t alter the makeup before the fall election when Graves would have had to run. 

Graves was first elected to Congress in 2014 to replace Republican Bill Cassidy, who had won a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Graves was a close ally and top lieutenant of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, who tapped him in 2021 as the lead Republican for a select committee on climate.      

He previously worked for former Gov. Bobby Jindal as the head of the state Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority. He was also a congressional aide to former U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin and Sen. David Vitter.