Louisiana and Virginia take steps toward redistricting in a growing battle for US House power

Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP

Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file ( 1 /3)

Republican lawmakers in Louisiana and Democrats in Virginia pressed ahead Wednesday with plans that could allow mid-decade redistricting as part of a growing national battle for partisan advantage in next year’s congressional elections.

Louisiana lawmakers passed legislation pushing back the state’s 2026 primary elections by a month — a move that could give lawmakers extra time to redraw the state’s U.S. House districts if the Supreme Court strikes down the current boundaries.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s House endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment that, if ultimately approved by voters, would allow lawmakers to temporarily bypass a bipartisan redistrict