Tennessee GOP approves new House map, sparks protests over Memphis district overhaul
A member of the public holds a "Democracy Needs Your Courage" sign during a special legislative session at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee, US, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Photographer: Madison Thorn/Bloomberg via Getty Images
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Republican legislators in Tennessee on Thursday approved a new U.S. House district map that dismantles a majority-Black district in Memphis, redrawing it in a way that favors the GOP as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to maintain a narrow majority in the November midterm elections.
The final vote came amid protests and chaos. As demonstrators chanted loudly in the galleries and hallways, Democratic state Sen. Charlane Oliver stood on her desk in the Senate chamber, holding a banner denouncing the redistricting as a "Jim Crow" effort, then clapping and dancing. Other Democratic senators linked arms in the front of the chamber. Republican leadership quickly adjourned the special session, sending the new map on to Republican Gov. Bill Lee to be signed into law.
Protesters in the galleries also had disrupted the Republican-led House as it voted for the new map — yelling, chanting and blowing air horns. In the hallways, other shouting protesters were held back Tennessee state troopers.
RELATED: Redistricting battle latest: Alabama, Tennessee act to redraw after Supreme Court ruling
The backstory:
The court ruled that Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating a second Black-majority House district as it attempted to comply with the federal law. The high court's decision altered a decades-old understanding of the law, giving Republicans grounds to try to eliminate majority-Black districts that have elected Democrats.
Rampant redistricting: Tennessee next up
Tennessee is the latest state to join the nationwide redistricting battle. Lawmakers in the Volunteer State just redrew the congressional map, essentially erasing a Democratic seat. LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall spoke about the redistricting fight with Samuel Benson from Politico.
Louisiana has postponed its congressional primary to give time for state lawmakers to craft a new House map. Legislation awaiting a final vote in Alabama also would upend the state’s congressional primaries if courts allow the state to change its U.S. House districts. In South Carolina, meanwhile, Republican lawmakers urged on by Trump have taken initial steps to add congressional redistricting to their agenda.
The states are the latest to join an already fierce national redistricting battle. Since Trump prodded Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last year, eight states have adopted new congressional districts.
Why you should care:
From that, Republicans think they could gain as many as 13 seats while Democrats think they could gain up to 10. But some competitive races mean the parties may not get everything they sought in the November elections.
What they're saying:
Protesters in Tennessee repeatedly interrupted legislative hearings Wednesday on the redistricting plans, yet Republicans advanced them for a potential final vote in the full House and Senate.
The package of bills would repeal a state law prohibiting mid-decade redistricting and reopen a candidate qualifying window for new people to enter the primary and existing candidates to switch districts.
The proposed House map would break up Tennessee’s lone Democratic-held district, centered on the majority-Black city of Memphis, creating a ripple effect of alterations to districts throughout the western and central parts of the state.
Molinaro Slams NY Dems Redistricting Effort
Former Congressman Marc Molinaro (R-NY) joined LiveNOW from Fox's Ryan Schmelz to discuss an effort by House Democrats to redistricting New York. Molinaro slammed the initiative led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said the proposed districts were drawn based on population and politics, not racial data.
Democrats and civil rights activists denounced the efforts.
The proposal "is Black vote dilution at an industrial scale," said Sekou Franklin, a political science professor at Middle Tennessee State University who is part of the Tennessee branch of the NAACP.
Democrats noted that the state Supreme Court in April 2022 rejected a challenge to the current congressional map, finding it was too close to the election to make changes. This year, there’s even less time before the Aug. 6 primary, raising the potential of confusion for both candidates and voters, Democrats said.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information comes from a reported news account describing actions by Tennessee lawmakers, statements from political leaders, and reactions from protesters, Democrats, and civil rights advocates. This story was reported from Los Angeles.