Good morning, it’s Thursday, April 30, 2026. In today’s edition, SCOTUS deals blow to Voting Rights Act; Florida approves DeSantis’s redistricting plan; new polls in Arizona, Oregon:
Top Stories
REDISTRICTING: The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled Louisiana’s creation of a second Black-majority seat in Congress represented an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The 6-3 decision, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, will make it more difficult for voters to challenge map lines on the basis of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, potentially putting at risk more than a dozen seats in Southern states drawn to ensure minority representation. (Pluribus News)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) will suspend U.S. House primary elections, where early voting was already underway, as lawmakers race to redraw district lines. Several shell bills have already been introduced to carry new mapping plans. (State Affairs)
MORE: Florida lawmakers approved new congressional district maps in party-line votes Wednesday, adopting lines that could help Republicans pick up as many as four additional seats in the U.S. House. Democrats have pledged to sue to block the maps, which they say violate a voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymandering. (State Affairs)
Alabama lawmakers are considering their own remap after Wednesday’s decision. (AL.com) New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said she is working with the legislature to change her state’s redistricting process. (State of Politics)
SOCIAL MEDIA: The Michigan Senate has approved measures banning addictive feeds for minors without parental approval and nighttime push notifications. Two other bills bolster data privacy protection for minors. The bills attracted bipartisan support. (State Affairs) The tech industry has sued to block a Minnesota law that requires social media companies to show health warning labels on their sites. (MPR News)
ENERGY: Maine lawmakers failed to override Gov. Janet Mills’s (D) veto of legislation placing a moratorium on new data centers. Mills vetoed what would have been first-in-the-nation legislation last week. (Portland Press Herald)
IMMIGRATION: The Iowa legislature has given final approval to a compromise bill requiring state agencies to verify citizenship and work eligibility for all state employees. The bill requires all applicants for licensure with the Board of Educational Examiners to provide proof of legal authorization work. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
MORE: The Justice Department has sued New Jersey over a law passed last month that bars law enforcement officers from wearing masks during interactions with the public. The Justice Department’s suit calls the law an unconstitutional attempt to regulate federal law enforcement. (NJ Advance Media)
TRANSPORTATION: The California Department of Motor Vehicles has adopted new regulations allowing manufacturers to test and deploy heavy-duty driverless vehicles on state roads. The rules require manufacturers to complete 50,000 miles for light-duty vehicles and 500,000 miles for heavy-duty vehicles in each testing phase. (Reuters)
In Politics & Business
ARIZONA: A new poll for the League of American Workers conducted by TIPP finds Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) leading U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R) by a 45%-35% margin. Hobbs’s approval rating stands at 42%, while 37% disapprove and 21% aren’t sure. (TIPP)
OREGON: A new poll conducted by Hoffman Research Group shows state Sen. Christine Drazan (R) leading the GOP gubernatorial field with 35% of the vote, followed by Rep. Ed Diehl (R) at 18% and former Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley (R) at 14%. (Oregonian)
NEBRASKA: Former state Sen. Brett Lindstrom is flirting with a nonpartisan bid for governor. Lindstrom ran for governor in 2022, finishing third in the GOP primary. He has since left the Republican Party. (Nebraska Examiner)
OHIO: Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit the construction of new data centers are racing to gather 413,000 signatures from at least 44 of the state’s 88 counties. They face a July 1 deadline. (Ohio Capital Journal)
By The Numbers
6: The number of Wisconsin Senate Republicans, out of 18 total, who are not seeking re-election this year. Sen. André Jacque (R) on Thursday became the latest to announce his retirement. (State Affairs)
$700,000: The amount South Dakota will pay the California-based company Pyro Spectaculars for a July 3 fireworks show at Mount Rushmore. The contract includes a backup light show if weather conditions aren’t good for fireworks. (South Dakota Searchlight)
Off The Wall
Former Florida Gov. and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (R/I/D) is back again — this time running for mayor of St. Petersburg. Crist endorsed incumbent Ken Welch earlier in the campaign, but he filed papers to run for the office earlier this week. (Associated Press)
California has announced the completion of Project Nexus, a solar-covered canal in the Central Valley aimed at saving water by reducing evaporation while generating new power. The $20 million project is the first of its kind in the nation. (Governor’s Office)
Quote of the Day
“What’s the proverbial line — all politics are local? It’s no longer that way. What’s happening worldwide, nationally, either we embrace it or we don’t.”
— Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R), on his re-election campaign. (Politico)