Gov. Lee Calls Lawmakers Back to Capitol to Redraw Congressional Lines

Gov. Bill Lee has called a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to redistrict the state’s 9th Congressional District. Lee expects lawmakers to return to the Capitol next week, with the special session to begin on Tuesday.

The 9th is the only Democratic congressional stronghold in Tennessee following the legislature’s redrawing of the maps in 2022, which split Nashville into three separate districts. Today’s special session announcement follows a Thursday social media post from President Donald Trump, who said he would like to see the Volunteer State become fully Republican — a reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court decision dealing a blow to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. SCOTUS on Wednesday ruled that it’s illegal to draw maps based on race.

“We owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters,” says Lee in a statement. “After consultation with the Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, Attorney General, and Secretary of State, I believe the General Assembly has a responsibility to review the map and ensure it remains fair, legal, and defensible.”

Tennessee Republicans Call to Redraw Congressional Maps [Updated]

Marsha Blackburn urges elimination of state's sole Democratic district after SCOTUS ruling weakens Voting Rights Act

"Tennessee now has the opportunity to send another Republican voice to Washington," says outgoing Lt. Gov. Randy McNally. "We intend to seize it. The legislature will draw a fair and legal map free from outside influence."

“Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Republicans have formally declared their willingness to light the Voting Rights Act on fire, along with the foundational principals of our democratic process," says House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons in a statement. "By again bending the knee to a corrupt, lame-duck president desperate for help, our weak-kneed governor is abusing his power to try and rig elections and silence the voice of Tennesseans."

Clemmons also called for Lee to declare the seat of late state Rep. G.A. Hardaway vacant so someone can be appointed to represent the Memphis Democrat's district during the special session.

This special session arrives on the heels of the legislature’s April 23 adjournment. The rapid timeline would allow for lawmakers to campaign in upcoming elections.

Gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn pressed Lee to redraw the districts after this week’s SCOTUS decision. The special session will take place three months before primary voters head to the polls. Legislators would have to redraw the maps by Friday, May 8, for election commissions to have time to prepare. 

“I urge the state legislature to reconvene to redistrict another Republican seat in Memphis,” said Blackburn on social media this week, sharing a speculative map showing an all-red Tennessee. “It’s essential to cement President Trump’s agenda and the Golden Age of America. I’ve vowed to keep Tennessee a red state, and as Governor, I’ll do everything I can to make this map a reality.” 

Trump put on social media that he talked with Lee to see this effort come to fruition. 

“I had a very good conversation with Governor Bill Lee, of Tennessee, this morning, wherein he stated that he would work hard to correct the unconstitutional flaw in the Congressional Maps of the Great State of Tennessee," Trump said on social media. "Likewise, all of the other Political Representatives of Tennessee have promised to do so. This should give us one extra seat, and help Save our Country from the Radical Left Democrats, and their Country destroying Policies of High Tax, Open Borders, Transgender Mutilization, Defunding the Police, ICE, and Border Patrol, No Voter ID, Soft on Crime, and so much more.”

This would be Lee’s fifth special session in eight years as the term-limited governor’s final year in office winds down. He’s held previous special sessions on topics surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, school vouchers and public safety after the Covenant School shooting.