Tennessee Republicans proposed a new congressional map on Wednesday that would divide the state’s sole majority-Black district and could lead to GOP control of all nine House seats.
The move follows the Supreme Court handing down a ruling late last month that gutted a key part of the Voting Rights Act, making it harder to challenge discriminatory voting maps and laws.
The proposed map divides Memphis and Shelby County into three districts, giving Republicans a high chance of flipping the state’s only Democratic-held seat, which includes the majority-Black city. That seat is held by Rep. Steve Cohen.
“This is insane,” Cohen posted on X.
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“The GOP’s newly proposed TN Congressional maps would have people in Shelby County all the way to Williamson County—200+ miles apart—being ‘represented’ by the same Congressman,” Cohen wrote. “It’s a blatant, corrupt power grab that would destroy the Black community’s and our entire city’s voice.”
Justin Pearson, a Tennessee state representative who is running as a Democrat for Cohen’s seat, called the proposed map an attack on the Black community.
“This is just wrong. And everyone knows why this is happening. This is an attack on our Black majority district,” Pearson said in a video. “We’re changing laws to change statutes to make things that were illegal legal.”
In an interview with NOTUS before the map was unveiled, Pearson said he believes Republicans in the state are “more worried about protecting their seats than they are thinking about protecting our democracy.”
“I’ve talked to a couple of Republicans on the [state] House floor, some of them are opposed to this process, but I don’t know if they’ll be opposed to the maps in the end. Yeah, I think there’s a trepidation and fear of Donald Trump and MAGA,” Pearson said.
Thousands of protesters gathered Tuesday in Tennessee to oppose the proposal of a new map, Pearson said.
“You’re getting a mass mobilization of people power,” Pearson said. “Thousands of people were here yesterday speaking up and speaking out against what is happening. And those are things that give me hope and courage in this moment as we fight for our democracy and our only Black-majority district that they’re targeting.”
President Donald Trump and Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for governor in the state, have pushed for a new map. And Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, called the GOP-led state assembly into a special session after the Supreme Court ruling.
“We owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters,” Lee said on X.
The assembly is expected to expedite the new congressional map after adopting a set of rules that limit public comments.
“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 in a post on X. “Today, Tennessee joins other red and blue states in redrawing their congressional maps.”
Tennessee’s proposed map is the latest entry in a nationwide redistricting battle, which was provoked by Trump and began in Texas, as the parties battle for control of the House in November’s midterm elections.
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