Full Breakdown
Tennessee Redistricting Splits Memphis’ Majority-Black Congressional District
8/7/2026, 3:39:15 AM
Core Event
The Republican-controlled Tennessee Legislature redrew the state’s congressional map, breaking the long-standing, majority-Black 9th District that encompassed Memphis into three separate districts. The new 9th now stretches from Memphis across the southern border of the state to just south of Nashville, incorporating 15 counties and merging urban Memphis voters with largely rural, predominantly white areas. As a result, incumbent Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen announced he will not seek re-election. The changes take effect for Thursday’s primary election, meaning families such as Quinn Carger and his mother will cast ballots in different districts for the first time.
Background & Demographic Impact
The redistricting altered the boundaries of seven of Tennessee’s nine districts, leaving only the easternmost part untouched. Under the former map, the 9th District was about 60 % Black and 23 % white, reflecting Memphis’ roughly two-thirds Black population according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Analysis by the Cook Political Report shows the reconfigured 9th is now about 58 % white and 32 % Black, creating a geographically wide and demographically disparate constituency that is likely to lean Republican. Similar splits occurred in 2022 when Nashville’s district was divided, eliminating a safe Democratic seat.
Local Leaders’ Views and Official Responses
Rev. Earle Fisher, senior pastor at Memphis’ Abyssinian Baptist Church and founder of UpTheVote901, said the redistricting “diminishes Black political power” and amounts to “a rhetorical sleight of hand” by the GOP. He backs Democratic mayor Chaz Molder in the newly drawn 5th District, arguing that a Democrat could still win a seat that would benefit Memphis.
State Rep. John Stevens, who sponsored the map, said the districts were drawn to benefit the party, according to Tennessee Lookout. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton posted on social media that the recent Supreme Court decision permits states to redraw maps based on partisan considerations, sharing an image of an all-red Tennessee.
Verbatim Quotes
- “From a strategic standpoint, it is a great power play by the Republicans here in this state to ensure that Black voices are minimized,” — Quinn Carger
- “Memphis is, historically, a city that represents the African American struggle,” — Quinn Carger
