Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee has announced he will abandon his reelection bid after more than 19 years representing the states 9th Congressional District, a seat now poised to shift to Republican control following a contentious redistricting.
According to The Post Millennial, Cohens decision follows a GOP-led map that carved up his Memphis-based district, prompting accusations from the left that the changes were racist. The congressman complained that the district with new lines is nothing like the 9th district that I've represented, and said he will retire from public life rather than seek another term under the new boundaries.
I've had the great honor to represent the ninth district for the last 19 and a half years. And it's been a district that is a majority African-American district, Cohen told reporters at a press conference, per CBS News. After the map was approved, he charged that, And just like that, the TN GOP voted to enforce a racial gerrymander of Memphis and strip our city of effective representation for decades."
The redrawn map divides the once-solidly Democrat Memphis district into three separate seats, each more competitive and likely to favor Republican candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. For conservatives, the shift reflects a broader correction in a state that has trended red for years, aligning congressional representation more closely with Tennessees overall electorate.
Cohen, who has served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Transportation, and the House Judiciary Committee, now exits as Democrats lose a long-held foothold in West Tennessee. The Tennessee fight is part of a nationwide struggle in which both Democrat and Republican-controlled states are redrawing congressional lines, but in this case, Republicans have used the tools Democrats have long exploited to secure a map more favorable to limited-government, pro-market representation.
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