Rep. Steve Cohen, a 20-year Democratic veteran representing Memphis, announced Friday he will not seek reelection after Tennessee Republicans redrew his district to eliminate his safe seat. The 76-year-old lawmaker becomes the first member of Congress to fall victim to the GOP’s aggressive redistricting campaign ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Cohen has held Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District since 2007, representing a heavily Democratic Memphis-area seat that voted for Biden by more than 40 points in 2020. But the Republican-controlled state legislature redrew district boundaries to carve up his urban stronghold and distribute Democratic voters across multiple GOP-leaning districts.
The congressman blasted Republicans for what he called a “powergrab” designed to silence urban voters. “They couldn’t beat me at the ballot box, so they erased my district with a pen,” Cohen said in a statement announcing his retirement.
Tennessee’s redistricting follows a pattern playing out across Republican-controlled states, where legislatures are using their once-a-decade mapmaking authority to cement partisan advantages for years to come. Democrats have accused Republicans of diluting minority voting power in cities like Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga by splitting them among rural districts.
Cohen’s departure hands Republicans another seat in their effort to maintain control of the House. While Democrats have also engaged in aggressive redistricting in states they control, Republicans currently hold the upper hand with control over mapmaking in more states following their success in 2020 state legislative races.
The Memphis Democrat has been a reliable progressive voice in Congress, serving on the House Judiciary Committee and emerging as a frequent critic of Republican policies. His retirement leaves Tennessee’s congressional delegation with just one remaining Democrat.
National Democrats warned that Cohen’s forced exit signals a broader threat to competitive elections. But with state legislatures holding primary authority over congressional maps and courts reluctant to intervene in partisan gerrymandering cases, the party has limited options to counter Republican redistricting efforts.
Cohen will finish his current term, which ends in January 2027. Republicans are expected to easily win the redrawn 9th District, which now includes rural areas that voted heavily for Trump in 2024.
Key Points
- Rep. Steve Cohen will retire after Tennessee Republicans eliminated his safe Democratic seat through redistricting
- Cohen becomes the first congressional casualty of the GOP’s aggressive mapmaking campaign ahead of November midterms
- Republicans are using their control of state legislatures to redraw maps that could secure House control for years
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5880062-cohen-retires-tennessee-redistricting/ – May 15, 2026
