Rep. Steve Cohen Says He Will Not Seek Reelection

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen announced on May 15, 2026, that he is dropping his bid for reelection in Tennessee's 9th Congressional District, a seat he has held since 2007. U.S.

House map earlier this month that carves up his majority-Black district. The redistricting, which occurred after last month's Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais narrowing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and barring race-based congressional districts, splits the Memphis population into parts of several different districts that lean more Republican.

The legislature's vote last week drew protests. Cohen, Tennessee's only Democrat in Congress and a fourth-generation resident of the Memphis area, stated that the new boundaries left him with no viable path forward in his longtime district. "This is by far the most difficult moment I've had as an elected official," Cohen said as he opened his remarks.

Cohen said he had considered running in one of the new districts but concluded they are nothing like the 9th District he has represented for the last 19 and a half years. "I've had the great honor to represent the ninth district for the last 19 and a half years. And it's been a district that is a majority African-American district," Cohen said.

He described the district as a uniquely diverse coalition centered on Memphis that repeatedly elected him, a white Democrat, by overwhelming margins. "It's unique in America that an African American majority district has elected a white guy," he said, adding that the new lines would eliminate that shared identity.

" Cohen has served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

His legislative work focused on civil rights and policing reform. U.S. Jeffries added that Cohen led hearings on the Voting Rights Act, police reform and racial justice.

The congressman challenged the state's redistricting in court and said he would reenter the race if that lawsuit succeeded in restoring his old district. He insisted he was "not a quitter" but argued the maps were drawn specifically to defeat him. Cohen pointed to infrastructure projects he helped deliver to Memphis, including funding for a new Mississippi River bridge and the city's baseball stadium.

The new map could give Republicans control of all nine of Tennessee's congressional seats. Justin J. Pearson, who had been challenging Cohen in a Democratic primary before the redraw, announced earlier this week that he would continue his campaign in the newly configured District 9.