Rep. Steve Cohen Ends Reelection Bid After Tennessee Republicans Redraw Memphis District

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced Friday that he is ending his bid for reelection after Tennessee Republicans enacted a new U.S. House map that splits his majority-Black district in Memphis into three gerrymandered districts.

Cohen said he requested not to be on the ballot for the upcoming August primary election, and he told reporters, "This morning, I announced my decision not to run in any of the three gerrymandered congressional districts carved out of the 9th District I have represented for more than 19 years."

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The map reshapes Cohen’s 9th Congressional District, and WPLN News reported it now stretches 300 miles from Memphis to the edge of Nashville.

Cohen’s decision came after a judge denied a temporary restraining order that would have blocked the new maps on a temporary basis in a case filed to stop them from going into effect, and he said he would rejoin the race if the courts give the district two more years.

Cohen, who is Tennessee’s only Democrat in Congress, also said he would reconsider his decision to suspend his campaign if Democrats won legal challenges against Tennessee’s new map, according to NBC News.

Cohen framed the redistricting as an effort to prevent his reelection, telling reporters, "But these districts were drawn to beat me," while the Hill described him as the earliest casualty of Republicans’ redistricting campaign ahead of November’s midterms.

The Tennessee Democratic Party is suing to block the redistricting plan on behalf of Cohen and other candidates, but WPLN News said a federal judge has allowed the maps to go into effect while multiple legal challenges go forward.

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WPLN News reported that state lawmakers from both sides of the aisle joined the race ahead of Friday’s filing deadline, and it said Tennessee Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, declared a conflict of interest during the special session on redistricting.

In the 9th District race, WPLN News said Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, had already been running against Cohen before redistricting and criticized Democrats who were joining now, while Pearson said, "We’re going to win. It’s going to be harder, but as an ancestor once said, if the mountain was smooth, you couldn’t climb it,".

Cohen also said he would reenter the race if his lawsuit succeeded in restoring his old congressional district, and the Commercial Appeal reported that he said, "If the courts will give two more years to that district... I will run for that office,".

Cohen warned that Tennessee could shift to an entirely Republican congressional delegation after the next election, and the Guardian said he lamented the state could be left out of the loop once Democrats regain the White House.

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CBS News

NBC News reported that Cohen said he would reconsider his decision if the 9th District remains intact, and it quoted his statement that Democrats would need to win legal challenges against Tennessee’s new map.

In Memphis, WPLN News said the new map splits the city into three districts and that London Lamar, D-Memphis, argued the new maps dilute Black voting power, saying, "We are going to stop this, but we need everybody to pay attention."

Cohen also warned about the practical consequences of having no Democrats representing Tennessee in Congress, telling the Hill, "You’re not going to have anybody to go to say, 'Congressman Cohen, will you go to the secretary of Transportation and help us with funds,'".

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries praised Cohen as "a powerful champion for civil rights" and said, "the City of Memphis, the Congress and the nation are better because of Steve’s commitment to making a difference," as Cohen prepared to leave office after the August 2026 primary.