Tennessee House Descends Into Chaos As Dems’ Only Congressional District Is Eliminated In New Map

Tennessee Democrats melted down Thursday as lawmakers eliminated their only congressional district in a newly drawn map.

Tennessee lawmakers in the state House of Representatives passed a map that splits Memphis along new congressional lines and eliminates the Democrats’ advantage in the 9th district. Democrats in the chamber shouted at the top of their lungs after the map officially passed.

The proposed map divides Shelby County and places 31% of black voters in one of three districts.

Republican state Reps. John Gillespie and Mark White voted “no” with the Democrats, according to News Channel 3, a local outlet based in Tennessee. Three other Republicans, Reps. Michele Reneau, Ron Travis and Greg Vital, voted “present.”

Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson got into a heated confrontation with state troopers after the passage of the map. He yelled, “the f*ck is wrong with you? You stupid motherf*cker” while they surrounded him. The state House previously expelled Pearson in 2023 after he broke decorum rules during a gun control protest following the Covenant Christian shootings in the Nashville area.

Several states have redrawn their maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Voters in Virginia narrowly approved a referendum that would give Democrats an advantage in ten out of 11 of the state’s congressional districts, though a circuit court in Tazewell County declared it unconstitutional. The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the matter during an April 27 hearing and has yet to issue a ruling on its constitutionality.

Democrats currently hold six seats in Virginia, while Republicans hold five.

Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves told the Daily Caller that state lawmakers were preparing for a special session focused on redrawing the state’s maps after the Supreme Court struck down race-based redistricting.

In response to Virginia’s gerrymandering, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a map on May 4 that could net Republicans four extra seats in Florida’s House delegation.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas’ redistricting map Monday, which could give Republicans five additional seats in the House of Representatives. The high court also cleared the way for Louisiana to redraw its map after finding the current districts unconstitutional in a decision striking down institutionalized racism.