Tennessee Republicans Drew New Congressional Map to Maximize GOP Wins, Data Shows
Why It Matters
Tennessee’s newly redrawn U.S. House map could eliminate the state’s only majority-Black congressional district, reshaping federal representation for hundreds of thousands of Memphis-area voters. The map is now the subject of three separate legal challenges, and the redistricting process itself has raised questions about transparency, partisan intent, and the role of incumbency protection in shaping district lines.
What Happened
Tennessee lawmakers approved a new congressional map in early May 2026, approximately one week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states are no longer required to draw majority-minority districts to guarantee fair representation for Black voters. The session was called specifically to redraw district lines, and Republican leaders acknowledged the map was developed in consultation with the White House — but declined to say how or when it was first created.
The map’s origins drew scrutiny when the image first surfaced on U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s social media accounts within hours of the Supreme Court’s ruling. The plan was quickly translated into law. The new configuration splits Memphis across three congressional districts, dismantling what had been the only district in Tennessee where Black and Democratic voters held a majority.
Democrats and civil rights advocates condemned the move as a deliberate effort to dilute Black political power in the state’s largest city. Three lawsuits have since been filed challenging the map’s legality. Hundreds of protesters marched on the state Capitol on May 5 in opposition to the special session.
By the Numbers
Election data analyzed using precinct-level voting records reveals that the new map was drawn to produce nine congressional districts in which President Donald Trump received at least 60 percent of the vote in the 2024 presidential election and where Blackburn also carried the district during her 2018 Senate race — even narrowly.
In three of those districts — the 4th, 5th, and 9th — Blackburn’s 2018 winning margin over Democratic challenger and former Gov. Phil Bredesen was less than 1,000 votes. Her margin in each of those districts was 0.4 percent or lower, and she failed to reach 50 percent of the vote in any of them. Under the old map, she effectively lost those districts to Bredesen. The new lines are designed to ensure that does not happen again.
The new map also splits more counties than any previous Tennessee congressional map, a notable departure from redistricting norms in the state.
Lines Drawn Around Specific Candidates
Beyond partisan vote calculations, the new district boundaries appear tailored to benefit specific Republican candidates currently running for Congress.
State Rep. Johnny Garrett of Goodlettesville has been pursuing the 6th Congressional District seat since mid-2025. The redrawn map carves a precise sliver out of Sumner County — encompassing the area where Garrett’s home address is listed — and places it within the 6th District. The remainder of Sumner County falls in the newly configured 7th District. While congressional candidates are not legally required to live in their districts, residency within the district is typically considered a political asset. Redistricting moves like this one can have significant downstream effects on competitive congressional races.
State Sen. Brent Taylor, a former funeral home director and congressional candidate, also appears to have benefited from the mapmaking process. His home city of Eads was drawn into the 9th District. Taylor announced his candidacy for that seat within hours of the map’s approval and pledged to self-fund $1 million of his campaign.
Zoom Out
Ken Syler, a political science professor at Middle Tennessee State University who participated in the state’s redistricting process in the 2000s, said earlier Tennessee maps — drawn when Democrats controlled the legislature — were constructed with county-splitting minimized as a guiding principle. The departure from that norm signals an explicit outcome-based approach, he said.
“Both parties are now trying to engineer a specific outcome,” Syler said, noting that the hyper-partisan redistricting environment is not unique to Tennessee. Republicans nationally are facing headwinds ahead of the 2026 midterms, with President Trump’s approval ratings under pressure — conditions that closely mirror the 2018 cycle, when the party suffered significant House losses.
Tennessee’s congressional delegation is currently 8-1 in favor of Republicans. The new map is designed to make it 9-0. Population shifts across Southern states have added urgency to redistricting battles, as midsized cities continue to grow and diversify.
What’s Next
Three active lawsuits now challenge the new map’s legality, with opponents arguing the plan violates equal protection principles and federal voting rights statutes. Courts will need to assess the claims before the 2026 midterm election cycle advances further. Syler noted that if legal or political circumstances shift, Republican lawmakers retain the ability to redraw the map again.