WASHINGTON (AP) — A Tennessee Democratic congressman announced Friday he is withdrawing from his reelection campaign, becoming a casualty of redistricting fights occurring nationwide following a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee recently approved a new congressional map that splits up the representative’s majority-Black district, reconfiguring it to favor the GOP as part of efforts to maintain a narrow majority in upcoming midterm elections.
“I don’t want to quit. I’m not a quitter. But these districts were drawn to beat me,” the congressman told reporters from his Washington, D.C. office.
The representative is fighting the state’s redistricting process in court and indicated he would rejoin the campaign if his legal challenge successfully restores his original congressional boundaries.
He expressed concern that Tennessee would probably become an all-Republican congressional delegation following the next election, cautioning this could isolate the state when Democrats eventually regain control of the presidency.
Tennessee became the first state to approve new congressional boundaries following a Supreme Court decision that substantially reduced federal Voting Rights Act safeguards for minority communities. Additional Southern states may follow suit, with Republican officials in Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina also moving toward redistricting.
The congressman has served his Memphis-area district for approximately twenty years, representing one of the final white Democrats from the South. He has served extensively on the House Judiciary Committee, concentrating on expanding voting rights and civil rights protections.
He’s recognized for his frequently dramatic moments during congressional proceedings and hearings. In 2019, during the previous administration, he brought fried chicken to a House Judiciary Committee session when the then-Attorney General failed to appear.
“The message is Attorney General Bill Barr is not brave enough to answer questions from a staff attorney and members of the Judiciary Committee,” he stated at that time.
