Why it Matters
Tennessee Republicans unveiled a new Tennessee congressional map Wednesday that would split majority-Black Shelby County into three separate congressional districts, effectively eliminating the state's only Democratic-held House seat, currently represented by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). Politico first reported the story.
The proposed Tennessee election map would give Republicans a clean sweep of all nine of Tennessee's congressional districts, completing a process that began in 2022 when GOP mapmakers carved up the Nashville-area Democratic district into three Republican-leaning seats.
Recap
The Supreme Court Ruling That Started It
The Tennessee redistricting push flows directly from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling handed down on April 29. In Louisiana v. Callais, the Court ruled along ideological lines that Louisiana's congressional map, drawn to comply with the Voting Rights Act, constituted an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito stated that "allowing race to play any part in government decision-making represents a departure from the constitutional rule that applies in almost every other context."
The ruling effectively removed race-related restrictions on how congressional maps can be drawn, opening the door for Republican-led states to redraw maps before the November 2026 midterms. Tennessee Republicans moved within days.
Trump's Direct Involvement
President Trump weighed in on the Tennessee congressional map almost immediately after the ruling, posting on social media urging the state to redraw its lines. His post read: "This should give us one extra seat, and help Save our Country from the Radical Left Democrats." Newsweek described the post as Trump's most direct intervention yet in the post-Callais redistricting wave. The Tennessean confirmed that Tennessee Republicans moved forward "heeding the call of President Donald [Trump]" in unveiling the new map on May 6.
Cohen's District and the Map's Construction
Cohen, the sole Democrat in Tennessee's congressional delegation, has represented the Memphis-area 9th District for nearly two decades. The proposed map would split Shelby County, a majority-Black urban county that forms the base of Cohen's political support, across three separate Republican-leaning districts, diluting Democratic voting power in the process.
The map also divides Maury County in a way that would benefit Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), who has been on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's target list for a potential flip in 2026. The redraw would effectively remove Ogles from competitive territory.
Cohen was direct in his response. Writing on X, he stated: "This is insane. The GOP's newly proposed TN Congressional maps would have people in Shelby County all the way to Williamson County, 200+ miles apart, being 'represented' by the same Congressman." He also wrote separately that "Trump and the GOP are coming for the power of Black voters in Memphis."
Republican Justification
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton released the proposed map and offered the legal rationale behind it, stating: "The Supreme Court has opined that redistricting, like the judicial system, should be color-blind." Sexton also said, "Today, Tennessee joins other red and blue states in redrawing their congressional maps," framing the move as a legally grounded and broadly consistent action rather than a partisan one.
Republicans have characterized the existing 9th District as having been racially gerrymandered, using the Callais ruling as legal cover for the redraw.
Hill & Administration Take
The Special Session
Republican legislative leaders convened a special legislative session to advance the new map, with multiple bills filed that would alter state code to allow the redrawing of congressional districts outside of the standard post-census cycle. The map was presented to committees on Wednesday, with floor votes in each chamber expected Thursday. The Washington Times characterized the map as "all but guaranteed to pass" the GOP-led House and Senate.
A Pattern Across the South
Tennessee is not acting alone. Alabama also called a special session following the Callais ruling, and multiple Republican-controlled states are moving to redraw maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. The New York Times published an interactive tracker placing Tennessee within a broader national wave of congressional redistricting efforts following the Supreme Court decision.
What the Media Is Reporting
Coverage of the Tennessee congressional map has been wide and pointed. Ben Kamisar and Jane C. Timm of NBC News reported a notable geographic critique of the map, noting it "crosses those historically and geographically distinct regions, tying voters from different media markets and time zones together," and also placed Tennessee alongside Alabama as part of a coordinated Southern Republican redistricting push following the ruling. The New York Times reported that protesters physically gathered to denounce the effort and emphasized the racial dimensions of the map, describing it as slicing up "a majority-Black city." The Tennessean provided the most granular geographic detail of any outlet, noting that three districts in Memphis would stretch all the way to the Nashville area and that the Nashville region itself has already been carved into five districts. Roll Call identified Speaker Sexton as the official who personally released the map image and first attributed his "color-blind" quote. TheGrio highlighted that Cohen's district is majority-Black and has long been the lone Democratic stronghold in the state, and noted Republicans argued the new map reflects "partisan considerations" in line with the Court's ruling. Raw Story captured Cohen's sharpest public reaction, quoting him calling the map "insane" on X.
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