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WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee on Friday announced that he is ending his bid for reelection, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country after last month\u2019s Supreme Court decision.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Republicans in Tennessee enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a Cohen\u2019s majority-Black district, reshaping it to the GOP\u2019s advantage as part of President Donald Trump\u2019s strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to quit. I\u2019m not a quitter. But these districts were drawn to beat me,\u201d Cohen told reporters in his Washington, D.C. office.<\/p>\n
Cohen is challenging the state\u2019s redistricting effort in court and said that he would reenter the race if that lawsuit succeeded in restoring his old congressional district.<\/p>\n
He lamented that Tennessee would likely shift to an entirely Republican congressional delegation after the next election, warning that it could also leave the state out of the loop once Democrats are able to regain the White House.<\/p>\n
Tennessee was the first state to pass new congressional districts after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. But more Southern states could follow. Republicans in Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina also have taken steps toward redistricting.<\/p>\n
Cohen has represented his Memphis-based district for about two decades, among the last of the white Democrats representing the South. He has been a longtime member of the House Judiciary Committee and has focused on strengthening voting access and civil rights.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s known for his often colorful outbursts during congressional debates and hearings. During Trump\u2019s first term, in 2019, Cohen brought a bucket of fried chicken to a House Judiciary Committee hearing at which then-Attorney General William P. Barr was a no-show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message is Attorney General Bill Barr is not brave enough to answer questions from a staff attorney and members of the Judiciary Committee,\u201d he said in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n