Tennessee Republicans are set to vote Thursday on a new congressional map that would carve up Memphis and likely hand the GOP all nine of the state’s House seats. It’s a rapid redistricting push launched just days after the Supreme Court weakened part of the Voting Rights Act.
The proposal released Wednesday would split Shelby County into three congressional districts and redraw the state’s only majority-Black district, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis. Republican leaders expect the map to clear the legislature quickly, according to The New York Times.
Republicans defend new map
Republican leaders argue the Supreme Court’s ruling gives states broader authority to draw districts based on partisan politics rather than race.
State House Speaker Cameron Sexton defended the plan Wednesday in a post on X, writing: “The Supreme Court has opined that redistricting, like the judicial system, should be color-blind. The decision indicated states can redistrict based off partisan politics.”
The proposal would also repeal a Tennessee law limiting congressional redistricting to once each decade after the census, allowing lawmakers to redraw maps mid-cycle.
Under the new lines, Memphis would no longer sit inside a single congressional district. The proposed map stretches the current Ninth District eastward while dividing large portions of Shelby County among neighboring Republican-leaning districts.
Republicans say the redraw aligns Tennessee with other states revisiting congressional maps after the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s congressional map last week.
Democrats accuse GOP of targeting Memphis voters
Democrats and voting-rights advocates say the proposal is designed to dismantle Black voting power in Memphis and lock in Republican control of the state’s congressional delegation.
Protesters gathered at the Tennessee Capitol throughout the week, with demonstrators interrupting hearings Wednesday before state troopers removed several people from committee rooms.
State Rep. Justin Pearson, a Memphis Democrat running for Congress, accused Republican leaders of conducting the process “completely in secrecy” and said the map was designed to benefit specific Republican candidates.
“What is deeply disturbing is that they have made a map to allow for one particular candidate that they want to win who has spewed racism and hate all across this state, particularly in Memphis,” Pearson said.
In a post on X, Rep. Steve Cohen called the proposal “a blatant, corrupt power grab” that would weaken Memphis’ voice in Washington.
The redraw also affects Middle Tennessee districts, including changes benefiting Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, whose district would no longer include parts of Democratic-leaning Nashville, the Times reports.
More states weigh new congressional maps
Tennessee is among several Republican-led Southern states moving to revisit congressional maps after the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Louisiana lawmakers have already delayed House primaries while drafting a replacement map, and Republican officials in Alabama and South Carolina are weighing similar changes.
If Tennessee’s proposal passes Thursday and is signed by Gov. Bill Lee, court challenges are expected almost immediately. Tennessee’s congressional primaries are scheduled for Aug. 6.
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