Ten-term Democrat Steve Cohen drops House reelection bid after Tennessee redistricting

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) announced on Friday that he would not seek re-election after Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature broke up his district.

The ten-term Democrat who represents the Memphis area spoke to reporters in Washington on Friday after votes.

“This is by far the most difficult moment I’ve had as an elected official,” he said. Cohen said he had sent a letter to the state capital of Nashville requesting not to be on the ballot.

The announcement came days after Tennessee’s legislature convened to redraw the state’s congressional map.

That move came after the Supreme Court handed down the Louisiana v. Callais decision, which not only forced Louisiana to redraw its congressional map, but virtually killed Section 2 of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.