Democrat Stacey Abrams — a prominent voting rights activist and former Georgia state House minority leader — testified Wednesday before Tennessee state lawmakers as they weighed a new congressional map that would carve up the state’s sole majority-Black district and threaten the lone Democratic member of its House delegation.
Tennessee lawmakers convened in a special session Wednesday to heed President Trump’s call for GOP-led states to move forward with mid-decade redistricting ahead of November’s midterm elections.
In testimony before the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee, Abrams urged lawmakers to “ignore the political frenzy and remember this legislature’s obligation to govern on behalf of every citizen in Tennessee.”
“I come before you today as a daughter of the South, by way of Mississippi and Georgia, because we are yoked together in the South by geography and destiny,” she said in her remarks.
“I did not travel to Tennessee today to weigh in on a policy debate or a political fight,” she continued. “Instead, the question before you is whether America will continue the long, unfinished work of building a multiracial, multiethnic, ideologically diverse, multi-generational democracy that belongs to all of us — or whether we will tear down the very protections that made that democracy finally possible.”
The proposal, unveiled Wednesday, would divide Memphis into three parts, carving up the district held by Rep. Steve Cohen, the only Democrat among Tennessee’s nine House members.
The renewed redistricting push comes after the Supreme Court last week declared Louisiana’s congressional map an illegal gerrymander and ordered the state to redraw its lines, putting at least one of the state’s two Democratic seats in jeopardy. The ruling has also put a target on some of the lone Democratic lawmakers representing parts of conservative Southern states.
“The fallout from this very cynical and cruel ruling has been sadly predictable,” Abrams told state lawmakers.
“Florida has already redrawn its congressional districts to silence voters of color. Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama are moving fast to keep up. And, right here in Tennessee, Republicans seek to fracture the political voice of Memphis, to silence the citizens who have but one place in this state to seek representation and redress, one out of nine,” she continued, referring to Cohen’s seat.
Cohen also testified before the Tennessee Senate committee, saying he was “saddened today to be here for the reasons we’re acting,” after commenting on his return to the Tennessee State Capitol, where he worked for more than two decades.
“We’re giving up the values of the state of Tennessee and the power of the state of Tennessee for one man who is president of the United States for two more years, and maybe a little bit for the governor, who’s going to be governor for a little less than a year,” Cohen told the committee.
“They’re going to get something out of this,” the Tennessee Democrat continued. “The people of Tennessee will lose. This is a loser for the people of Tennessee.”
Cohen argued that having a Democratic congressman has benefited Tennessee, pointing to federal funding he secured during the Biden administration for the bridge over the Mississippi River. He also emphasized his long-established roots in the district and his commitment to his constituents.
Throughout the day, state lawmakers gathered in committees to consider the new congressional map, along with related legislation. The full chamber is expected to consider the legislation on Thursday.
The redistricting effort has faced fierce backlash, especially from Democratic activists, who packed committee rooms Wednesday and chanted anti-redistricting messages before the hearings began.
After remaining quietly in their seats for some time, protesters in two separate hearings interrupted proceedings to resume chanting, eventually compelling lawmakers to clear the room of outside observers.
At the heart of the disagreement is whether race played a role in drawing the districts under the new GOP-friendly proposal. Republicans repeatedly insisted the map was drawn to favor their party in November’s elections and did not take race into account. Democrats countered that dividing up Memphis — the country’s second largest majority-Black city by population — effectively deprives the community representation in Congress.
“This map was developed based on population and politics. There was no incumbents who were paired together, and no racial data was used in the drawing of this map,” Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) said in a committee hearing.
State Sen. John Stevens (R), a primary sponsor of the redistricting proposal, was asked why lawmakers decided to push through the legislation now.
“There’s an election this fall of who’s going to control the House of Representatives. That’s why,” he responded. “We want Republicans to maintain control of the House of Representatives.”
Abrams argued the map is antidemocratic and pushed back on the suggestion that race is not a factor in redrawing the districts.
“Rigged maps that decide elections before a single vote is cast, and politicians who rig elections so it’s impossible for them to lose — that is not democracy. That is cowardice,” she said.
“In the south, we believe in fair contest. We believe in government of, by and for the people. Tennessee can be led by Republicans, can be led by conservatives, without returning to a vicious past that silences Black and brown voters in pursuit of complete and total power,” she added. “I am here today, Mr. Chairman, because I have faith in the South and in Tennessee. I believe that together, we can do what’s right.”
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