Tennessee Republicans split Memphis and Nashville through redistricting maps

Tennessee Republicans redraw congressional maps to split the Democratic stronghold of Memphis across three majority-Republican districts, leveraging the Supreme Court's April 2026 decision in Louisiana v. Callais. The redistricting prompts long-time Democratic Representative Steve Cohen to retire and leaves Representative Justin Pearson contesting a heavily conservative electorate. This follows a similar 2022 division of Nashville, which led to sharp declines in local federal funding and reduced constituent access.

Tennessee's redistricting of Memphis

• ▪Tennessee state lawmakers enacted a new congressional map splitting Memphis and its majority-Black population into three separate districts linked with rural and suburban areas.
• ▪Memphis, a city of 630,000 residents that is 63% Black, previously comprised 78% of Tennessee's Ninth Congressional District population prior to redistricting.
• ▪Tennessee became the first U.S. state to implement a post-Louisiana v. Callais congressional map that eliminated a majority-Black Democratic district.

Effects of Nashville redistricting

• ▪Redistricting in Nashville eliminated all congressional constituent offices within city limits, increasing the average driving distance to a district office for residents from 9 miles to up to 47 miles.
• ▪Following Nashville's division across three congressional districts, annual community project funding allocated to projects inside the city dropped from $15.5 million to $3 million.
• ▪Four years prior to splitting Memphis, Tennessee Republicans divided the Democratic stronghold of Nashville into three congressional districts, enabling Republican candidates to win all three seats.

Steve Cohen's tenure and departure

• ▪Representative Steve Cohen secured $52.6 million in community project funding for Memphis between 2022 and 2026, accounting for 83% of all federal project funding for District 9.
• ▪Democratic Representative Steve Cohen, who represented Tennessee's Ninth Congressional District since 2007, canceled his re-election bid after redistricting made the district favor Republicans by 21 points.

Justin j. Pearson's congressional campaign

• ▪Tennessee State Representative Justin J. Pearson launched a campaign for Congress in the redrawn Ninth District, where Hart Research polling showed him trailing Republican Brent Taylor 48-44.
• ▪National Democrats placed State Representative Justin J. Pearson on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue support list in October 2026.

Brent Taylor's congressional campaign

• ▪Ready for the Fight PAC, established by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, spent $300,000 on advertisements opposing Republican Brent Taylor in the Tennessee Ninth Congressional District race.
• ▪Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor identified combating inflation as his top priority in his campaign for Tennessee's Ninth Congressional District.

2023 expulsions of Tennessee lawmakers

• ▪President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama condemned the 2023 expulsions of Representatives Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones from the Tennessee House.
• ▪Tennessee House Republicans expelled State Representatives Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones in 2023 following gun control demonstrations at the state capitol, before Pearson regained his seat via special election.

Supreme Court Voting Rights Act rulings

• ▪In 2013, the Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder invalidated the Voting Rights Act provision requiring federal pre-approval before states alter voting laws or political maps.
• ▪In April 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais, narrowing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by requiring proof of intentional racial discrimination to challenge maps.

National partisan redistricting efforts

• ▪In 2025, Texas launched a mid-decade redistricting drive urged by President Donald Trump as part of a national Republican effort to gain congressional seats across multiple states.
• ▪Democrats responded to the 2025 national Republican redistricting drive by pursuing partisan redistricting in California alongside faltering efforts in other states.