Tennessee GOP releases new map that splits up blue hubs
Republicans in Tennessee unveiled a new congressional map that would split Memphis’s district and could help the GOP win an additional House seat. The proposal comes after President Donald Trump discussed redistricting with Gov. Bill Lee and followed a Supreme Court decision that gives states more leeway to redraw districts without having to prioritize racial outcomes under the Voting Rights act.
Before the new plan,Tennessee’s congressional map favored Republicans 8-1. The 9th District-currently the state’s sole Democratic-leaning district and centered on Memphis-has historically been shaped to protect majority-black voting power. Under the proposed map, the 9th District would move to southern Tennessee rather than its current southwestern area and would be effectively dismantled as Shelby County (which includes Memphis and suburbs) is broken into three districts.
Other changes include splitting Nashville’s area among different districts and significantly reshaping parts of the 3rd District west of Knoxville, while keeping cities like Chattanooga, Knoxville, Johnson City, and Murfreesboro largely intact. Republicans would still face legal and timing hurdles: they must get the maps approved before the midterm elections, and the window to qualify for the August primary has already closed.
Republicans in Tennessee’s state legislature released a new congressional map on Wednesday that would split Memphis’s congressional district and possibly give the GOP an additional seat.
The map reveal follows President Donald Trump’s conversation with Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) last week, when the two discussed redrawing the Volunteer State’s maps to give Republicans “one extra seat.”
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Tennessee became one of Trump’s redistricting targets after the Supreme Court handed down a ruling on the Voting Rights Act that gives states more freedom to redraw congressional maps without prioritizing racial outcomes.
The map as it is now, before the Republicans’ redistricting push, is split 8-1 in favor of the GOP. The 9th Congressional District is the lone Democratic-voting district encompassing Memphis and has historically been a majority-black district in line with the previous interpretation of the Voting Rights Act.
Under the proposed maps, the 9th District would be shifted to the southern part of Tennessee, a sharp contrast to the district as it is now, a small section on the southwestern tip of the state.
Republicans’ proposal splits Shelby County, which includes Memphis and its suburbs, into three districts, effectively dissolving Rep. Steve Cohen’s (D-TN) district.
Nashville, located in Davidson County, was already split between the 5th, 6th, and 7th Districts. The new map would divide the country music city between the 4th, 6th, and 7th Districts. The 5th District would move from central Tennessee to the northern part of the state and would curve southwest toward Memphis.
The 3rd Congressional District also experienced a major shift, as the area west of Knoxville is now split between the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Districts.
TRUMP SAYS TENNESSEE NEXT TO REDISTRICT AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING AND ‘GIVE US ONE EXTRA SEAT’
Other major cities such as Chattanooga, Knoxville, Johnson City, and Murfreesboro would remain intact.
Republicans face an uphill battle to get the maps approved before the midterm elections in order to possibly secure an additional GOP seat in the House. The deadline to qualify for the August primary has already passed, and a push to redistrict before the general election could pose legal challenges.
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