McKenzie Divided Into Two Congressional Districts Following GOP Mid-Cycle Gerrymandering

NASHVILLE (May 8) — Tennessee Republicans approved a new congressional map during a special legislative session aimed at strengthening the party’s hold on the state’s congressional delegation and eliminating Tennessee’s lone Democratic U.S. House seat in Memphis.

The overhaul splits McKenzie into two congressional districts. Previously located entirely in District 8 and represented by Rep. David Kustoff, R-Germantown, the city now also falls within the newly redrawn District 5. Weakley and Henry counties are now in District 5, while Carroll County remains in District 8.

District 5, represented by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Culleoka, stretches from Memphis through northwest Tennessee into Middle Tennessee. It includes western Williamson County, parts of Maury and Montgomery counties, and extends through Stewart, Benton, Henry, Weakley, Obion, Lake, Dyer and Lauderdale counties before reaching downtown Memphis.

District 8 includes Carroll, Gibson, Madison, Crockett, Haywood, Decatur and Perry counties, along with portions of Fayette, Shelby and Tipton counties.

The map, approved months before the November midterm elections, divides Memphis into three congressional districts and is expected to create a 9-0 Republican congressional delegation, replacing the current 8-1 split.

The NAACP filed a lawsuit shortly after Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation into law Thursday.

The new districts replace maps adopted in 2022 following the 2020 Census.

State officials who backed the redistricting effort included Gov. Bill Lee, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon.

Stevens, who carried the Senate bill, said, “Tennessee is a conservative state and our congressional delegation should reflect that.”

Sexton said the redistricting “will reduce the risk of future legal challenges while promoting sound and strategic conservatism.”

All three Carroll County legislators — Rep. Brock Martin, Rep. Tandy Darby and Stevens — supported the new map.

To enact the mid-cycle redistricting, lawmakers first repealed a decades-old state law that prohibited congressional redistricting outside the census cycle.

The legislature also waived several election and transparency requirements, including public notice rules related to boundary changes and voter notification requirements for precinct changes. Lawmakers additionally suspended residency requirements for candidates running in the newly drawn districts.

The congressional map was introduced one day before final passage. Republican leaders rejected proposals to release the maps 72 hours before the vote and suspended standard parliamentary procedures to accelerate passage.

Republicans said the overhaul was prompted in part by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which they argued gave states broader authority to prioritize partisan considerations in redistricting.

The effort also followed pressure from national Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who urged Lee to call a special session ahead of the midterms.

Blackburn, who is running for governor, said the goal was “to cement President Trump’s agenda and the Golden Age of America” and “to keep Tennessee a red state.”

Opponents criticized both the substance of the map and the speed of the process.

The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government said the process felt like “government pulling a fast one in the middle of an election that has already started,” noting that candidate filing deadlines had already passed.

Labor and civil rights groups argued the new districts could dilute the voting strength of Black and underrepresented communities.

Following passage of the map, the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office announced a new qualifying deadline for congressional candidates. Additional candidates may qualify for the ballot until noon May 15.

Candidates who already qualified under the previous map may continue running in districts with the same district number regardless of residency, or they may switch districts or withdraw by filing paperwork with the State Division of Elections.

State Sen. Brent Taylor, endorsed by Blackburn and Sen. Bill Hagerty, announced a campaign for the newly configured 9th Congressional District on May 7, saying the redistricting “created an opportunity to deliver another strong Republican voice to Congress.”