Tennessee law eliminates state's lone Democrat-held congressional seat
Updated
Updated · CNBC · May 7
Tennessee law eliminates state's lone Democrat-held congressional seat
9 articles · Updated · CNBC · May 7
Governor Bill Lee signed the measure after a special legislative session, targeting Memphis Democrat Steve Cohen's district before the 2026 midterm elections.
The move follows the Supreme Court's April 29 Callais ruling weakening part of the Voting Rights Act, prompting redistricting efforts in Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina.
Republicans see map changes as crucial to protecting their narrow House majority, while Democrats and voting-rights advocates warn minority voters could be disenfranchised by a wider Southern gerrymandering push.
Could electoral systems used abroad be the ultimate fix for America's redistricting battles?
How do U.S. redistricting practices compare to the electoral standards of other major democracies?
The Legal and Political Battle Over Tennessee’s Mid-Decade Redistricting and Its Impact on Black Political Power
Overview
In April 2026, Tennessee's Governor Bill Lee signed a new congressional map that dismantled the state's only majority-Black district in Memphis, splitting it into three parts and diluting Black voting power. This change, enabled by a special legislative session called after former President Trump's urging and the repeal of a mid-decade redistricting ban, aims to maximize Republican control, potentially flipping all seats to the GOP. The map sparked immediate legal challenges citing procedural and racial discrimination concerns, while civil rights groups protested the dilution of Black representation. This effort is part of a broader Southern strategy following a 2025 Supreme Court ruling that made it harder to challenge racial gerrymandering, with national implications for the 2026 midterms and minority voting rights.