Tennessee Republicans rolled out a proposed congressional map Wednesday that would remake the state’s lone Democratic seat and give the GOP a major edge ahead of the November midterms by slicing up the district anchored in Memphis.
The plan would put Rep. Steve Cohen, the only Democrat in Tennessee’s nine-member House delegation, in the political crosshairs. Cohen currently represents the state’s only majority-Black district.
Under the proposal, Memphis would no longer sit largely inside one district. Instead, the city would be split into three sections and folded into surrounding districts that are more Republican-leaning, a move Democrats and voting-rights advocates typically argue dilutes urban voting power.
The proposal surfaced as state lawmakers gathered at the Capitol to consider the new lines. It also lands amid a broader national redistricting fight, with President Donald Trump urging Republican-controlled legislatures to pursue mid-decade map changes.
Trump and Republicans notched a win last week after the Supreme Court said Louisiana’s congressional map was an illegal gerrymander and ordered the state to redraw its districts, a decision that could threaten at least one of Louisiana’s two Democratic seats.
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. Today, Tennessee joins other red and blue states in redrawing their congressional maps. @ltgovmcnally pic.twitter.com/lOeBf5tGMF
— Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) May 6, 2026
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton defended the push in a post on X, pointing to the Supreme Court’s reasoning.
“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,” Sexton wrote, sharing an image of the proposed map.
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“Today, Tennessee joins other red and blue states in redrawing their congressional maps,” he continued.
Any new map would still need to clear the Legislature and survive expected legal and political blowback. If adopted, the changes could reshape Tennessee’s House battlefield and complicate Democratic hopes of making gains in a year where control of Congress is expected to be tight.
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