Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to retire after Republican-led redistricting in Tennessee

Key Points:

• Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., announced he will not seek re-election after Tennessee's Republican-led redistricting split his Memphis-based majority-Black district into three parts, which he says dilutes Black voting power.
• The new district map follows the Supreme Court's Callais v. Louisiana decision, which limited the use of race in redistricting, prompting several Southern states to redraw districts in ways that disadvantage Black Democratic incumbents.
• Democrats warn that redistricting could result in the loss of a third of Congressional Black Caucus members, with Cohen's retirement marking the 59th House member retirement this cycle, one of the highest in recent history.
• Cohen stated he might reconsider running if legal challenges to Tennessee’s new map succeed, while his primary challenger, state Rep. Justin Pearson, continues to run despite the redistricting changes.
• Pearson is nationally recognized as part of the “Tennessee Three,” Democratic lawmakers who protested gun violence and faced expulsion from the state Legislature before being reinstated.