(The Center Square) – A new congressional map introduced by Tennessee Republican state lawmakers reconfigures congressional districts in Western Tennessee while leaving districts in the eastern part of the state largely intact.
The map abolishes the 9th Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, Tennessee’s only Democratic member of Congress. It splits Shelby County, Memphis’ county seat, into three congressional districts.
The 9th District, which was largely comprised of Shelby County and part of Tipton County, now includes just a part of Shelby and 13 counties east of Memphis.
The newly reconfigured 8th District includes part of Shelby and 11 other counties. It is represented by David Kustoff.
The 5th District currently includes the middle Tennessee counties of Maury, Lewis and Marshall and parts of Williamson, Davidson and Wilson. It was redrawn to spread across the northwestern part of the state and down the state’s borders with Missouri and Arkansas. It also includes a part of Shelby County. Rep. Andy Ogles represents the 5th Congressional District.
The new map also redraws Rep. Matt Van Epps’s 7th District to include counties in the northern central part of the state. Davidson County, Nashville’s county seat, is three districts on the current map. The new map splits it into five.
The 4th and 6th Districts, represented by U.S. Reps. John Rose and Scott DesJarlais were shifted to account for the changes. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts were unchanged.
The qualifying date for congressional candidates was Feb. 19. Lawmakers are also considering a bill that would remove the residency requirement for candidates only for the 2026 election and set a new qualifying date for May 15. The primary election is on Aug. 6.
A protest erupted before the Senate State and Local Government Committee could advance the bill on Wednesday morning. The committee moved to another room and agreed to move the bill.
