Tennessee held primary elections this week to determine Republican and Democratic nominees for U.S. House seats, following a controversial redistricting effort that redrew the state’s congressional districts. The new map, approved by the Republican-led Legislature after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections, fundamentally altered representation in the state.
The most significant change involves the 9th Congressional District, which previously centered on Memphis and favored Democrats but now stretches approximately 200 miles eastward before reaching toward the Nashville area, tilting Republican. For decades, Memphis—the most populous city in Shelby County—formed the base of its own congressional district. Under the new map, the county is now split among three districts extending outward into rural areas. Some Memphis residents expressed concerns that the redistricting diminished their representation. Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen announced he would not seek reelection in the reshaped district, leaving a four-person Democratic primary between state Rep. Justin Pearson and state Sen. London Lamar, among others. President Donald Trump endorsed state Sen. Brent Taylor in the four-person Republican primary for the district.
The redistricting also significantly reshaped the 5th Congressional District. Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, endorsed by Trump, faces a primary challenge from Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner endorsed by Gov. Bill Lee. The district, previously centered on Nashville and central Tennessee, now extends to the state’s northwest corner before reaching south along the Mississippi River toward Memphis, touching the borders of Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
In the 6th District, Republican U.S. Rep. John Rose is forgoing reelection to run for governor instead, creating a contentious primary with four Republican and five Democratic candidates. The gubernatorial race features Rose, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, and other candidates seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Bill Lee. Republicans have held the governor’s office since 2011 and won every U.S. Senate election since 1994.
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