BATON ROUGE, La. - A Black Democratic lawmaker is facing outrage from colleagues and state party leaders after voting for a Republican plan that redraws Louisiana’s congressional map without creating a second majority-Black district.
State Rep. C. Travis Johnson, D-Vidalia
State Rep. C. Travis Johnson, D-Vidalia, has been in the hot seat since Thursday, when he broke ranks with Democrats and the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus to support House Bill 1 from House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales.
That vote – and his support last year for a ban on transgender athletes – has prompted some party activists to call for Johnson’s removal as the first vice chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party.
Tensions over Johnson’s voting record spilled over at the State Capitol on Monday during a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, according to interviews with three state lawmakers in attendance, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Read more on Johnson's trouble with his own party from our news partner The Advocate.
