Tennessee Republicans release and approve a new congressional map that redraws the state’s U.S. House districts ahead of the November election. Multiple outlets report that the proposal—and subsequent passage by the Republican-led Legislature—breaks up the state’s single Democratic-leaning, majority-Black district centered on Memphis. Under the plan, Memphis is divided into three congressional districts that each contain roughly comparable shares of the city’s Black voters, which critics say is designed to reduce Black voting strength.
Several reports identify Rep. Steve Cohen as the lone Democrat currently representing Tennessee in the U.S. House through the existing district. Other coverage says the map would likely eliminate the Democratic-held seat or make it difficult for Democrats to retain it, leaving Tennessee with no Democratic-controlled congressional district. Outlets also note the timing of the changes and describe the Legislature as moving quickly to adopt the map.
One outlet links the redistricting effort to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened protections under the Voting Rights Act, while other reports focus more directly on the map’s effect on Memphis and overall party outcomes in the state’s nine House seats.
