Rep. Steve Cohen ending campaign in Tennessee after redraw of his Memphis district [View all]
Source: ABC News/AP
May 15, 2026, 11:33 AM
WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee on Friday announced that he is ending his bid for reelection, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country after last month's Supreme Court decision.
Earlier this month, Republicans in Tennessee enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a Cohen's majority-Black district, reshaping it to the GOP’s advantage as part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections. “I don’t want to quit. I’m not a quitter. But these districts were drawn to beat me,” Cohen told reporters in his Washington, D.C. office.
Cohen is challenging the state’s redistricting effort in court and said that he would reenter the race if that lawsuit succeeded in restoring his old congressional district.
He lamented that Tennessee would likely shift to an entirely Republican congressional delegation after the next election, warning that it could also leave the state out of the loop once Democrats are able to regain the White House.
Read more: https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/rep-steve-cohen-ending-campaign-tennessee-after-redraw-133005039
His district WAS the "majority-minority" one but anyone who ever watched him in hearings or on the House floor, would see how much of a firebrand he was. I think the "Tennessee 3" had talked about entering the primary for that seat, at least pre-redraw.
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