Tennessee Primaries Set November Matchups Under New Congressional Map That Splits Memphis
The Facts
- Tennessee's Aug. 6 primaries were the first elections conducted under a congressional map that the Republican-led legislature approved in May, following a Supreme Court decision that narrowed federal Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters.
- The new map divides Memphis — where most of the state's Black voters live — among three Republican-leaning districts, eliminating the state's only majority-Black congressional district; the new 9th District extends from Memphis roughly 200 miles toward the Nashville area.
- Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat who represented the Memphis-based 9th District for about two decades, ended his reelection bid shortly after the new map was adopted.
- State Sen. Brent Taylor, endorsed by President Trump, won the Republican primary in the redrawn 9th District, defeating state Rep. Todd Warner, Charlotte Bergmann and Jeremy Thompson; state Rep. Justin Pearson won the Democratic primary over state Sen. London Lamar, Jim Torino and M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams.
- Rep. Andy Ogles lost the Republican primary in the 5th District to former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who was endorsed by Gov. Bill Lee, despite Trump having endorsed Ogles.
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn won the Republican primary for governor over Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts, in a race where Trump did not endorse; Memphis City Councilmember Jerri Green won the Democratic nomination.
- Republicans currently hold eight of Tennessee's nine U.S. House seats, and the redrawn map is intended to give the party all nine in November; Trump has supported the redistricting as part of a national effort to preserve the GOP's narrow House majority.
- Pearson gained national attention in 2023 as one of the lawmakers known as the 'Tennessee Three' after he was expelled from the state House over a protest supporting gun control measures; he was later returned to the chamber.
- The new 9th District's boundaries give Republicans an advantage, and Taylor is widely described as favored heading into the November general election.
Context
Why did Tennessee redraw its congressional map in the middle of the decade?
Republican state lawmakers passed the new map in May, shortly after the Supreme Court weakened part of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, making it harder to require district lines drawn with race as a factor NYT,CBS News. Trump publicly backed the effort as part of a broader push for Republican-led states to add seats before the midterms Independent,U.S. News & World R…. The Hill reports state lawmakers also repealed a 56-year-old prohibition on mid-decade redistricting Hill.
How does the new map change things for Memphis voters?
The previously compact, Memphis-based 9th District had a majority-Black population and was the state's only Democratic-held seat; it has been split so that parts of the city now sit in three separate Republican-leaning districts Guardian,USA Today,Al Jazeera Online. PBS reported that neighbors living minutes apart now receive different congressional ballots, and several Memphis voters said they were frustrated by the May redistricting PBS.org.
What does Ogles's defeat say about Trump's endorsements this cycle?
Hatcher's win was described as a rare loss for a Trump-endorsed candidate, who had backed mostly winners in this year's Republican primaries Independent,TribLIVE. USA Today reported it was the second Trump-backed congressional candidate to lose in that week of the primary season USA Today. Hatcher, who lacked Trump's endorsement, campaigned as pro-Trump while emphasizing his farming background TribLIVE.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Memphis's representation should be settled by Memphis voters, and the new map eliminated the state's only majority-Black district while the party's stated goal is nine of nine.
- Where Left and Right split
- Whether the story is about a legislature dismantling the only majority-Black district after the Court narrowed the VRA, or about voters resisting outside endorsements and donor networks.
How left and right read it
Tennessee's Republican legislature redrew the congressional map in May, after the Supreme Court narrowed Voting Rights Act protections, and split Memphis — home to most of the state's Black voters — among three Republican-leaning districts, erasing the only majority-Black seat. Steve Cohen ended a two-decade run. Nine of nine is the stated goal. Call it what it is: representation taken from Black voters, and demand it back.
“The new lines slice through Memphis, where most of the state's Black voters live, in a bid to eliminate the state's only Democratic-held seat.” — The New York Times
Andy Ogles lost the 5th District primary to Charlie Hatcher despite Trump's endorsement, and Marsha Blackburn won the gubernatorial nomination in a race Trump stayed out of entirely. Tennessee voters aren't taking orders. That same independence is the standard worth holding in the redrawn 9th, where the Democratic nominee arrives carried by national left-wing organizations. Who represents Memphis is Memphis voters' call, not a donor network's.
“Known for his fiery, preacher-style speeches, Pearson has also received support from national left-wing groups including Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party, MoveOn and Indivisible.” — Fox News
The receipts — all 74 sources
Wire services (26)
Independent coverage (48)
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