Tennessee GOP lawmakers meeting next week to carve up Memphis' blue House district

Tennessee GOP lawmakers meeting next week to carve up Memphis' blue House district

Gov. Bill Lee called for a special session Friday so that Republican lawmakers can redraw Tennessee's U.S. House map to eliminate the state's lone Black-majority congressional district in Memphis and secure another seat for the GOP.

Why it matters: Tennessee joins the national partisan arms race to overhaul House maps as both parts scratch and claw for control of Congress.

  • The special session, which begins Tuesday, could upend midterm primary races that are already well underway.

    • What he's saying: "We owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters," Lee said in a statement Friday. "I believe the General Assembly has a responsibility to review the map and ensure it remains fair, legal, and defensible."

    Driving the news: The frantic special session comes after President Trump and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn pushed state leaders to redraw the district boundaries in order to give Republicans advantages in all nine of Tennessee's U.S. House races.

  • Trump expressed hope in a Truth Social post that Tennessee would carve up the Memphis area seat, which has long been out of reach for Republicans.

    • State of play: The state's current House delegation features one Democrat — U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen from Memphis — and eight Republicans.

  • The District 9 seat covering the Memphis area has historically been preserved as a Black-majority district under a longstanding interpretation of the Voting Rights Act.

    • The latest: A ruling earlier this week by the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit over Louisiana's map seemed to pave the way for Tennessee's Republican super-majority to draw new boundaries to their advantage.

  • Time is of the essence in order for state leaders and local election officials to create new ballots before the Aug. 6 primary.

    • Yes, but: The deadline for candidates to qualify for midterm primary races has passed, and ballots are already set. Early voting is set to begin in July.

  • Restarting the process with new maps at this point would be unprecedented.

    • The other side: Democrats are certain to throw down the gauntlet in order to block the effort. A legal challenge to prevent a new map from taking effect this year is all but guaranteed.