MAY 15, 2026
Rep. Steve Cohen ends reelection bid after Tennessee redraws his Memphis-based district
Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced on Friday that he is ending his reelection campaign after Republicans in the state enacted a new congressional map that reshaped his Memphis-based district. Cohen, who has served in Congress for more than 19 years since taking office in early 2007, signed a document requesting he not be placed on the ballot in the redrawn 9th Congressional District. He said he would reenter the race if a lawsuit he filed challenging the redistricting effort succeeded in restoring his previous district.
Tennessee Republicans passed new congressional district boundaries following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported that Tennessee was the first state to enact new maps after that ruling, and that Republicans in Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina have also taken steps toward redistricting.
Cohen told reporters in his Washington, D.C., office, "I don't want to quit. I'm not a quitter. But these districts were drawn to beat me." He described the redrawn district as "nothing like the 9th district that I've represented," according to Fox News. The AP reported that Cohen said the redistricting was being done "for Donald Trump to get one more vote, he thinks, to stop them from being impeached."
Cohen has represented his district for approximately two decades, making him one of the last white Democrats representing the South, according to the AP. He is also the first Jewish person to represent Tennessee in Congress, the AP reported. He has been a longtime member of the House Judiciary Committee with a focus on voting access and civil rights.