Tennessee Governor Signs New Congressional Map Into Law

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation Thursday approving a new congressional map that eliminates the state's only Democrat-held district. The map combines portions of Shelby County in western Tennessee with areas more than 200 miles away in the state's middle region, according to maps released by the legislature.

The action follows the Supreme Court's April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which held that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act does not require states to create the maximum possible number of majority-minority districts.

The new Tennessee map was approved by the Republican-controlled legislature this week. State officials have described the redraw as an exercise of their authority to redraw districts following the high court's clarification of VRA standards. The Supreme Court ruling invalidated a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana that had been ordered by a lower court.

Multiple states have taken steps on redistricting since the April 29 decision. Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina have moved forward with map changes or related preparations, according to reports from those states. Alabama Republicans are preparing to set new U.S. House primaries if courts permit redistricting there, ABC News reported.

Earlier map-drawing in Texas and Florida is projected to add Republican seats. An analysis by the nonprofit Issue One estimated that, prior to the Supreme Court ruling, Republicans stood to gain as many as 13 seats through map changes in Texas, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio and Florida, while Democrats were projected to gain 10 seats depending on outcomes in Virginia and elsewhere.

Following the April 29 ruling, the same Issue One analysis projected Republicans could gain at least five additional seats from subsequent map changes. A Republican operative speaking on condition of anonymity told CNBC the decision improves the party's path to retaining its House majority, noting that one or two seats per state could prove significant.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Sam Marchuk said map changes alone would not allow Republicans to secure a majority. VoteHub's May 4 forecast gave Democrats an 85 percent chance of winning House control.

Michael McNulty, policy director at Issue One, said in a statement that the changes could weaken the voices of voters of color. Omar Noureldin, senior vice president of policy and litigation at Common Cause, said the Supreme Court decision "does not instruct states to take specific action" on districts.

Issue One noted that additional map changes could occur ahead of the 2028 cycle in states including Florida, Missouri, North Carolina and Texas. A YouGov poll found that 71 percent of Americans believe partisan gerrymandering should not be allowed.