Tennessee’s New Congressional Map Splitting Memphis Debuts in Primary

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A new Tennessee congressional map that carved up a majority-Black district in Memphis made its electoral debut Thursday in a primary election that will determine the nominees for a Republican attempt at a clean sweep of the state’s U.S. House districts in the midterms.

The primaries were upended just three months before the vote when the Republican-led Legislature redrew congressional districts following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. President Donald Trump cheered the redistricting as part of a national plan to help Republicans hold on to their slim House majority, according to AP News.

A Historic Redistricting Battle

For decades, Memphis — the most populous city in Shelby County — formed the base of its own congressional district. The 9th District was the state’s only majority-minority district and its lone Democratic seat, represented for about two decades by Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen.

The redistricting was enacted in May 2026 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 29 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which partially overturned Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The provision had helped guarantee majority-minority districts by preventing districting plans that would dilute the ability of racial minorities to elect their own representatives, as States United documented.

Tennessee became the first state to pass a new congressional map following the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act. The new map carved up the majority-Black 9th District, splitting Shelby County among three districts (5th, 8th, and 9th) that extend outward like spokes into rural areas.

The reshaped 9th District now stretches about 200 miles (320 km) east from Memphis before reaching north toward the Nashville area, and now tilts Republican. Under the new map, the district’s 2024 presidential result shifted from Harris winning with 71% to Trump winning with about 60% — a swing of roughly 60 points.

Longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen announced he would not seek reelection after the redistricting. The Cook Political Report now rates the new 9th District as “Solid Republican.”

Voters Express Dismay

Lonzo Taylor, a 72-year-old retired postal worker and military veteran, said Black voters like himself have had their voices diluted.

“We only had one district in the whole state of Tennessee, and you don’t even want that to be fair? It’s just terrible,” Taylor said. “I love this state, but I am very disappointed in our governor,” who called lawmakers into a special session for the redistricting.

Milla Meiman, 23, who voted early in the Democratic primary, said she did not realize the congressional map had changed until receiving a letter about it in the mail.

“It’s a drastic change to have your district sort of switched around like that,” said Meiman, who works part time at an ice cream shop and public library. “I think it’s a voter suppression tactic.”

Terrice Thomas, 45, an educator who votes for Democrats, had to learn a lot more about the candidates when she got switched from District 9 to District 8. She is concerned Memphis constituents could get overlooked.

“Is everybody going to have an equal say on what’s happening in their communities or even the people that you’re voting for?” Thomas said. “Are they going to really take into account the different areas and what makes us unique?”

The 9th District Primaries

Trump has endorsed state Sen. Brent Taylor in the four-person Republican primary for the reshaped 9th District. Taylor, who holds the financial edge over his primary rivals, faces state Rep. Todd Warner, retired U.S. Army Sergeant Jeremy Thompson, and conservative activist Charlotte Bergmann.

On the Democratic side, the primary features state Rep. Justin J. Pearson — who gained national attention when he was expelled from the state House in 2023 for a gun control protest following a deadly school shooting in Nashville — alongside state Sen. London Lamar and healthcare executive Jim Torino. Pearson has raised almost $2.3 million, making him the financial leader among Democrats, according to the Tennessee Lookout.

Republicans argue the new districts, which now stretch from Memphis into the Nashville suburbs, are actually more representative of the state’s population than packing Black voters who overwhelmingly support Democrats into a single seat.

“I think it’s better for the congressmen in these districts to actually represent the interests and values of Tennesseans,” Taylor said in an interview with NPR. “And that’s much better accomplished in districts that look like Tennessee rather than just a simply large urban core district like the old district 9 was.”

Democrats and voting rights groups counter that the move dilutes Black political power. Pastor J. Lawrence Turner of the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis said the redistricting could push voters to disengage.

“I think it can push this district to a place where some might feel, ‘Well, what’s the use of voting?’” Turner said. “And in this time, we’ve been still making the case that your participation in the democratic process is non-negotiable, particularly for African Americans. People have died to secure for us the right to vote.”

Legal Challenges and the Road Ahead

The NAACP Tennessee State Conference sued to block the map hours after it was signed into law on May 7, 2026. On July 23, a three-judge federal panel declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the new districts, allowing them to be used in the primary, as reported by KSAT.

The judges — two Trump appointees and one appointee of former President Barack Obama — wrote that plaintiffs “lack any direct evidence of racial motivation” and that “the road to a reliably 9-0 map runs through Memphis. Thus, political motivations readily explain the map’s dilutive effects.”

Amber Sherman, a Memphis voter and plaintiff in the lawsuit, criticized the ruling, saying it’s “painful” to head into an election under a map that weakens the voices of Black voters.

“We deserve the same opportunity to shape our future as anyone else,” Sherman said. “When our voting power is diluted, our neighborhoods have a harder time making their voices heard on the issues that shape our daily lives.”

Broader Primary Context

The redistricting also significantly reshaped the 5th Congressional District, held by Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, who faces a primary challenge from Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner endorsed by Gov. Bill Lee. Republican U.S. Rep. John Rose is forgoing reelection in the 6th District to run for governor, creating a contentious primary.

The primary also includes races for governor, with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Rep. John Rose, and state Rep. Monty Fritts competing on the Republican side, and U.S. Senate, where Bill Hagerty is unopposed in the GOP primary.

Early voting data showed about 397,000 Republican primary ballots and about 225,000 Democratic primary ballots cast as of August 1, according to 270toWin. Tennessee is the only state that schedules its statewide primaries on a Thursday.

The redistricting is part of a nationwide partisan redistricting campaign that President Trump urged Republican-led states to pursue, with Tennessee among eight GOP states to redraw maps since last year. As the results come in Thursday night, the outcome will signal whether Republicans have succeeded in their goal of flipping Tennessee’s last Democratic-held congressional seat — and what it means for the broader fight over representation in the South.