A major shake-up just hit Tennessee politics.
Longtime Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen announced Friday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending nearly two decades in Washington and setting off what could become a brutal power struggle among Memphis Democrats.
Cohen’s decision comes at a politically explosive moment, just after Tennessee Republicans pushed through a controversial redistricting overhaul that dramatically changes the congressional landscape around Memphis. The move has sparked outrage from Democrats and activist groups, who accuse the GOP of targeting one of the state’s last reliable Democrat strongholds.
The outgoing congressman made little effort to hide his frustration.
“The state legislature is trying to take it over,” Cohen said earlier this week. “And that’s absurd. It was all partially because it’s a majority Black city.”
Republicans, however, argue the redraw is both legal and necessary. GOP lawmakers say Tennessee’s population shifts and changing voting patterns justify the updated map and insist Democrats are merely angry because their political influence is shrinking statewide.
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