Tennessee GOP plans gerrymander to wipe out Democratic legislators

Republicans in Tennessee, who hold veto‑proof supermajorities in both chambers (27‑6 in the Senate and 75‑24 in the House), have already redrawn the state’s lone congressional district held by a Democrat. Using the Supreme Court’s recent Louisiana v. Callais ruling that permits partisan but not racial gerrymandering, they split Memphis’s majority‑Black 9th District into three GOP‑friendly districts.

State officials now say new legislation will be introduced next year to redraw state Senate and House districts. Mapping software indicates the proposed plans could produce a 33‑0 Senate and a 99‑0 House, effectively eliminating Democratic representation in the state legislature. Republican Caucus press secretary Molly Crawford confirmed the upcoming redistricting effort. Critics ask, “Do the one‑third of Tennesseans who do not choose Republican government have a right to be represented in their elected legislature?”