Tennessee Republicans are setting their sights on the state's lone remaining Democratic congressional district as they reshape the political map following the Supreme Court's 2013 decision on the Voting Rights Act.
The push comes after GOP mapmakers successfully carved Nashville into three Republican-leaning districts during the 2022 redistricting cycle. That maneuver eliminated what had been a competitive Democratic seat in the state capital, cementing Republican control over the Nashville metro area.
Now attention has turned to Memphis and its surrounding district, which remains one of the few Democratic strongholds left in Tennessee's congressional delegation. The city's heavily Democratic voter base has long represented the party's last major foothold in the state.
The Supreme Court's 2013 decision gutted key enforcement mechanisms of the Voting Rights Act, removing the requirement that certain jurisdictions with histories of discrimination seek federal approval before changing voting maps. That ruling opened the door for states like Tennessee to redraw districts with far fewer constraints than had previously been possible.
Republican control of Tennessee's statehouse gives them the power to propose new maps for congressional districts. If they proceed with reshaping the Memphis district as they did with Nashville, it would leave Tennessee with a congressional delegation composed entirely of Republicans.
The move reflects a broader GOP strategy across the South to consolidate political power through aggressive redistricting, using demographic shifts and legal rulings to their advantage.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This is textbook political hardball, but Republicans aren't hiding the game anymore."
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