The new congressional maps in Tennessee has led to an obvious question: Who is going to run for Congress in these newly drawn districts?
We now know the answer.
For context: The new map splits Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s district into three. The 9th Congressional District, which Cohen has represented for nearly two decades, now stretches 300 miles from Memphis to the edge of Nashville.
The Tennessee Democratic Party had hoped that a federal judge would pause the redistricting while multiple legal challenges go forward — but the judge ruled last week that the maps can go into effect now.
That meant candidates had a little over a week to pursue a spot on the ballot. Here’s what we know after Friday’s filing deadline.
WHAT TO KNOW
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, addresses a crowd of protesters as his former primary opponent, state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, looks on.
Credit: Marianna Bacallao / WPLN News9th Congressional District: Cohen will not run for re-election
Cohen has said he would rejoin the race if the map is struck down in court. But for now, says WPLN’s Marianna Bacallao, he’s out.
State Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, who once interned for Cohen, is now running. “We are going to stop this,” she said, “but … we need everybody to get involved because they are banking on us to stay dormant.”
State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, who had been running against Cohen in the primaries, indirectly criticized Lamar, saying that Democrats should be banding together in this moment rather than joining the race.
On the Republican side, state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, quickly joined the 9th District race. State Rep. Todd Warner, R-Lewisburg, has also thrown his hat in the ring.
5th Congressional District: Chaz Molder will stay in
The Democratic National Convention had invested heavily in Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder’s campaign to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Rep Andy Ogles. The new map takes Columbia out of the district entirely, but Molder has relaunched his campaign under new state rules that temporarily waive the residency requirement for the updated districts.
7th Congressional District: Democrats are flocking
Joshua Warren Sales had been the lone Democratic candidate against incumbent U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps, who won narrow victory in a special election last year. More Democrats have now entered the race, including state Rep. Vincent Dixie, Nashville businessman Darden Copeland, and political newcomer Saletta Holloway.
6th Congressional District: Megan Barry almost runs
The 6th is outside of the three new districts that include Memphis, but still has some news: Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry briefly announced her candidacy, before deciding against running a day later. Disability rights activist Lore Bergman is running again, alongside Democratic challengers from Nashville to Crossville. On the Republican side, Rep. John Rose is running for governor this year, so state Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, is running against three other Republicans.
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MORE TO KNOW
- Two tree nonprofits have sent a letter to the Nashville Electric Service requesting a temporary moratorium on its tree-trimming program. After massive power outages in January, NES expanded the zone it clears between trees and utility infrastructure from 10 to 15 feet. Some residents have gotten angry (and vocal) about finding their trees cut in dramatic ways. Now, the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps and the Cumberland River Compact are joining the chorus, noting that NES has not shared a cost-benefit analysis comparing the grid reliability gains against a substantial loss of trees. NES told WPLN’s Caroline Eggers that they’re using “lateral pruning techniques, an accepted best practice,” to trim trees.
- Fisk University is rolling out plans for a new billion-dollar project that will bring a data center to its campus in North Nashville. The project includes a renovation of campus residence halls, a new event space that is five times its current size, and a 100,000-square-foot facility with a data center and a new academic center. Fisk’s president, Agenia Clark, stressed to the crowd the university’s commitment to “do no harm” to its surrounding neighbors, amid nationwide uproar over new data centers. Construction for the project is set to begin immediately. [WPLN]
- Tennessee’s largest coal ash site could become a permanent source of pollution near the Cumberland River. The TVA has proposed capping an unlined storage site for coal ash at the Cumberland Fossil Plant instead of moving the material to a lined landfill. The Cumberland coal ash site, about 60 miles northwest of Nashville in Stewart County, contains multiple unlined pits and ponds that have or are actively leaching arsenic, boron, cobalt, lithium, molybdenum and sulfate into groundwater near the Cumberland River, according to monitoring data from TVA. The plan to close the coal ash site requires approval from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. [WPLN]
FROM WNXP
Last week, NPR Music crowned the winner of its annual Tiny Desk Contest: Cure For Paranoia, a Dallas-based alternative hip-hop project of Cameron McCloud and producers Tomahawk Jonez and Jay Analog.
Their winning song, “No Brainer,” won over the judges — including WNXP’s own Celia Gregory — with its witty lyricism and strong, creative vision.
Celia says that the combination of a locked-in band and star emcee was the “it-factor” for her: “It’s the rhymes and the rizz for me, but also the overall drive of the song and the horns.”Hear the winning artistsCHECK OUT TICKET GIVEAWAYS
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