Transcript: Sen. Raphael Warnock on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," May 3, 2026

Key Points:

• The Supreme Court recently struck down a 2022 Louisiana congressional map that created a second majority-Black district, narrowing the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and making it harder to challenge racial gerrymandering without proof of intent.
• Senator Raphael Warnock called the decision a devastating blow to democracy and people of color, emphasizing that it ignores historical and ongoing voter suppression tactics, especially in Southern states previously protected under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
• Warnock advocates for Congress to reinstate preclearance requirements from the original 1965 Voting Rights Act to combat modern voter suppression and gerrymandering, asserting that the current Supreme Court majority has emboldened discriminatory practices.
• While opposing partisan gerrymandering in principle, Warnock supports his party's redistricting efforts as a necessary response to Republican-led gerrymandering, and he has introduced legislation to ban partisan gerrymandering, though it has received no Republican support.
• Warnock criticized arguments that downplay the importance of Black representation in Congress, stressing that diverse representation is essential for equitable policymaking and the health of American democracy.