Democrat Stacey Abrams delivered a forceful warning to Tennessee lawmakers as Republicans advanced a controversial congressional redistricting proposal that would divide the state’s only majority-Black district and threaten the seat held by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen.
The Tennessee legislature convened in a special session to consider new congressional maps after President Donald Trump encouraged Republican-led states to pursue mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Speaking before the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee, Abrams urged lawmakers to reject what she described as a politically motivated attempt to weaken minority representation.
“I come before you today as a daughter of the South, by way of Mississippi and Georgia, because we are yoked together in the South by geography and destiny,” Abrams told lawmakers.
She framed the debate as part of a broader national struggle over voting rights and democratic representation, warning that the proposed map could erode protections for Black and brown voters.
The Republican-backed proposal would split Memphis into three separate congressional districts, potentially dismantling the district represented by Cohen, the only Democrat in Tennessee’s nine-member House delegation.
Abrams connected Tennessee’s effort to a broader wave of redistricting battles across the South following a recent Supreme Court ruling striking down Louisiana’s congressional map as an illegal gerrymander. She argued the decision had emboldened Republican lawmakers in several Southern states to redraw districts in ways that could diminish minority voting power.
“Rigged maps that decide elections before a single vote is cast, and politicians who rig elections so it’s impossible for them to lose — that is not democracy. That is cowardice,” Abrams said.
Cohen also testified before the committee, criticizing the effort as politically driven and harmful to Tennessee voters.
“We’re giving up the values of the state of Tennessee and the power of the state of Tennessee for one man who is president of the United States,” Cohen said.
Republican leaders defended the proposal, insisting race was not considered in drawing the new districts. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said the map was based solely on “population and politics.”
Still, Democrats and activists packed committee hearings throughout the day, chanting anti-redistricting slogans and accusing Republicans of attempting to silence Memphis voters. The full legislature is expected to take up the proposal Thursday, setting the stage for an escalating political and legal battle over representation in Tennessee.
