Tennessee Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a proposed congressional map that would split the state's majority-Black Shelby County and likely erase the last Democratic seat in the U.S. House. The plan aims to give the GOP all nine of the state's congressional districts. It follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act protections.
The new map, released on the second day of a special legislative session called by Gov. Bill Lee, would divide Memphis into three districts that favor Republicans. It also splits Democrat-leaning areas around Nashville. Rep. Steve Cohen, the white Democrat who has represented the Memphis area for nearly two decades, called the proposal racist and a corrupt power grab that would destroy the black community's voice in Congress.
