# Tennessee redistricting drives 2026 primaries, Blackburn won > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/tennessee-gop-gerrymandering-and-elections > Updated: 2026-08-06T06:31:37.000Z. Sources: 25. Developments: 4. After a U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened Voting Rights Act protections, the Republican‑controlled Tennessee legislature redrew the state’s congressional map, splitting the long‑standing majority‑Black 9th District into three districts. The reconfigured 9th now stretches about 200 miles east from Memphis toward Nashville and leans Republican. Longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen announced he will not seek re‑election. State Sen. Brent Taylor, endorsed by Donald Trump, won the Republican primary for the new 9th, while State Rep. Justin Pearson secured the Democratic nomination. In the newly drawn 5th District, incumbent Rep. Andy Ogles lost the GOP primary to former Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, despite Trump’s endorsement of Ogles. Republicans currently hold eight of the state’s nine U.S. House seats and are targeting a clean sweep in the November midterms. On August 6, 2026, Senator Marsha Blackburn defeated Rep. John Rose and Rep. Monty Fritts in the Republican gubernatorial primary, positioning her as the likely first female governor of Tennessee. Trump did not endorse any candidate. Prediction‑market odds gave Blackburn a 96 percent chance of winning, though a recent poll showed a tighter three‑way race. Blackburn now faces Democrat Jerri Green in the November general election. ## Claims - John Rose and Monty Fritts were the other Republican candidates in the Tennessee governor primary. (corroborated by 10 sources) - Governor Bill Lee is term‑limited and cannot run for re‑election. (corroborated by 9 sources) - Marsha Blackburn won the Republican primary for Tennessee governor on August 6, 2026. (corroborated by 6 sources) - The Tennessee legislature redrew congressional districts, eliminating the sole majority‑Black Memphis district previously represented by Democrat Steve Cohen, who did not seek re‑election. (corroborated by 4 sources) - If elected, Marsha Blackburn would become Tennessee’s first female governor and its oldest governor at age 74. (corroborated by 3 sources) - Prediction markets show Marsha Blackburn as a 96% favorite to win the GOP governor primary. (single source) - A recent poll gave Blackburn 34.5%, Rose 31%, and Fritts 25.6% support in the primary. (single source) - President Donald Trump did not endorse any candidate in the Tennessee GOP governor primary. (single source) ## Timeline ### 2026-08-06: Marsha Blackburn Wins Tennessee Republican Gubernatorial Primary Marsha Blackburn won Tennessee’s GOP governor primary on Aug 6, 2026, beating John Rose and Monty Fritts; she would become the state’s first female and oldest governor. 21 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tennessee-primary-elections-on-aug-6-amid-redistricting-and-governor-race ### 2026-08-03: Tennessee primary elections shape governor, Senate and congressional races Tennessee’s Thursday primary decides the governor race, a U.S. Senate seat and congressional contests reshaped by new Republican maps, with Marsha Blackburn, John Rose and Andy Ogles among the key candidates. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tennessee-primary-elections-shape-governor-senate-and-congressional-races ### 2026-07-12: Tennessee primary shapes open governor race and redrawn congressional districts Early voting starts for Tennessee's Aug. 6 primary, with an open governor race between Marsha Blackburn and John Rose and contests in newly redrawn congressional districts; Republicans dominate while Democrats, 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tennessee-primary-shapes-open-governor-race-and-redrawn-congressional-districts ### 2026-06-16: Tennessee GOP plans gerrymander to wipe out Democratic legislators Tennessee Republicans, wielding veto‑proof supermajorities, plan to redraw state Senate and House districts to achieve a 33‑0 and 99‑0 partisan split, erasing Democratic representation after recent partisan g g 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tennessee-gop-plans-gerrymander-to-wipe-out-democratic-legislators --- Cite as: Tennessee redistricting drives 2026 primaries, Blackburn won. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/tennessee-gop-gerrymandering-and-elections