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