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Steve Cohen, TN's Lone Democrat, Announces He's Not Seeking Re-Election

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  May 15, 2026 3:00 PM

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) is retiring. The longtime House member, who has represented the 9th district for many years, has decided to step down. His district was redrawn by Tennessee Republicans, and a federal judge declined to block its implementation. He wasn’t going to win under the new district lines. So, he’s decided to leave Congress at the end of his term, with his likely replacement being a Republican (via WREG):

Congressman Steve Cohen, who has represented Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District for more than 19 years, announced he is withdrawing from the race Friday morning.

Cohen says his majority-Black district was gerrymandered into three Republican-leaning districts by the state General Assembly last week.

The deadline to file to run in the redrawn District 9, as well as Districts 5 and 8 in the Memphis area, is noon Friday.

Democrats have criticized this redistricting effort as racist and an attack on black voting rights or something—Cohen is white, and he’s the only House Democrat from Tennessee, which is why these accusations never gained traction. Everyone knows black voting rights aren’t being taken away. Have your tantrum and accept the maps. You lost, Democrats. 

Oh, and there's this:

Yes, that's a long time to be on the Hill, but funny how when Cohen found out he needed to actually work for black votes, he decided to quit.