Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat who has served Tennessee's 9th Congressional District since 2007, announced he will not seek reelection after redistricting significantly altered his district's composition. The redrawing of district lines reduced the Democratic lean of his historically safe seat, making a 2024 comeback substantially more difficult.
Cohen's decision marks the end of an 18-year tenure in Congress representing one of Tennessee's most reliably Democratic areas. The redistricting process, controlled by the Republican-led Tennessee legislature, reshaped the 9th District to include more Republican-leaning communities, diminishing Democratic voter registration and making the seat far more competitive than Cohen had enjoyed during his previous campaigns.
The congressman's exit comes as Democrats face unfavorable conditions heading into the 2024 election cycle, with the party defending a narrow House majority. Tennessee, a solidly Republican state at the statewide level, has become increasingly challenging terrain for Democrats in congressional races, particularly after the GOP's control of the state legislature allowed Republicans to draw maps favorable to their party.
Cohen's departure opens the seat to a new generation of candidates. The 9th District remains the most Democratic-leaning congressional district in Tennessee, though its new boundaries make it considerably less safe for Democrats than the old configuration. Potential successors will inherit a seat still tilted toward Democrats but without the significant margin that protected Cohen throughout his tenure.
The redrawing of congressional districts is a decennial process that follows the census. In states where Republicans control both chambers of the legislature and the governorship, as in Tennessee, GOP mapmakers can craft districts that maximize Republican opportunities. Cohen's experience exemplifies how redistricting power translates directly into electoral consequences for incumbent lawmakers.