Republicans unveil proposed congressional map that carves up Tennessee's lone Democratic district
Republicans say the plan removes racial data from mapmaking and could reduce legal challenges as committees prepare to vote this week.
- On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Tennessee Republicans officially released a proposed congressional map designed to eliminate the state’s final Democratic stronghold by carving up the majority-Black city of Memphis.
- The new map would dismantle the 9th Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Steve Cohen , and divide Shelby County among three Republican-leaning districts. If passed, the map would likely result in a 9-0 Republican sweep of Tennessee’s U.S. House seats.
- Governor Bill Lee called a special legislative session specifically for this redistricting effort, following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened portions of the Voting Rights Act. State House Speaker Cameron Sexton argued the move is legal under the Court's guidance that states can redistrict based on "partisan politics."
- The push follows direct public pressure from President Trump, who last week urged Tennessee leaders to ensure the state becomes "fully Republican" in the upcoming November midterms to help cement the GOP’s narrow House majority.
- Civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers have condemned the proposal as a "return to Jim Crow." Martin Luther King III sent a letter to state leaders expressing "grave concern," noting that the plan dismantles the only district providing a fair voice for Black voters in the city where his father was assassinated.
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49 Articles
Tennessee Reveals New Congressional Map Proposal
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Tennessee Republicans revealed a new U.S. congressional map during a special session aimed at redistricting the state on May 6. The controversial proposal unveiled on Wednesday would divide the Democratic stronghold of Memphis into three U.S. congressional seats as opposed to one, which is currently held by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). The split would likely result in all of Tennessee’s nine congressional districts leaning Republ…
Tennessee GOP moves to pass map eliminating state’s lone Democratic seat
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...
Republicans seek to change TN code to redraw congressional map before census
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Tennessee lawmakers seeking to redraw Tennessee's congressional map must approve a change to state code, which bans changes to district boundaries between censuses. The Tennessee General Assembly is on the second day of a special legislative session to redraw the congressional maps and eliminate the state's only Democratic-held district in Congress. [...]
Red State Releases Proposed 9-0 Congressional Map
Tennessee Republicans unveiled a new congressional map that would likely eliminate the state’s only Democrat-held district, creating a 9-0 GOP advantage. The proposed map must still be approved by the legislature. “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,” Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said. “Today, Tennesse…
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