Southern Republicans press ahead with election-year redistricting of US
House despite protests
[May 07, 2026]
By TRAVIS LOLLER, KIM CHANDLER, JEFFREY COLLINS and DAVID
A. LIEB
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republicans in several Southern states pressed
ahead with an aggressive election-year redistricting effort Wednesday,
undeterred by demonstrations and objections to their plans to reshape
majority-Black congressional districts that have suddenly become
vulnerable because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
In Tennessee, protesters repeatedly interrupted legislative hearings on
the redistricting plans, yet Republicans advanced them for a potential
final vote Thursday.
Despite passionate pleas from Black Democratic lawmakers, Republicans in
the Alabama House approved a measure to upend the state’s congressional
primaries if courts allow them to switch their U.S. House districts. In
South Carolina, Democrats chided Republican colleagues for abiding by
President Donald Trump's desires as they took an initial step toward
redrawing a district long held by a Black Democratic lawmaker.
The stakes are high for minority voters who stand to lose their
preferred representatives and for any Republican lawmakers reluctant to
follow Trump's wishes. In Republican primary elections Tuesday,
Trump-endorsed challengers defeated at least five of the seven Indiana
state lawmakers targeted by the president's allies for refusing to
support a congressional redistricting effort last year.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that Louisiana relied too heavily on
race when creating a second Black-majority House district as it
attempted to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The ruling significantly
altered a decades-old understanding of the law, giving Republicans in
Louisiana and elsewhere grounds to try to eliminate majority-Black
districts that have elected Democrats.
The ruling intensified an already fierce national redistricting battle
ahead of a November midterm election that will determine control of the
closely divided House.
Since Trump prodded Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last year,
eight states have adopted new congressional districts. From that,
Republicans think they could gain as many as 13 seats while Democrats
think they could gain up to 10. But some of the new districts could be
competitive in November, meaning the parties may not get all they
sought.
Tennessee plan splits up Memphis district
Republicans on Wednesday proposed a new U.S. House map that would split
Memphis’ home of Shelby County into three districts, instead of the
current two. The map would break up Tennessee’s lone Democratic-held
district, centered on the majority-Black city, creating a ripple effect
of alterations to districts throughout the western and central parts of
the state.
“Tennessee is a conservative state, and our congressional delegation
should reflect that. This bill ensures it does,” Republican state Sen.
John Stevens said.
Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said the proposed districts were
drawn based on population and politics, not racial data.
To adopt new House districts, Tennessee lawmakers also are seeking to
repeal a state law prohibiting mid-decade redistricting.
Democrats and civil rights activists denounced the efforts during
Wednesday's committee hearings.
The proposal “is Black vote dilution at an industrial scale,” said Sekou
Franklin, a political science professor at Middle Tennessee State
University who is part of the Tennessee branch of the NAACP.
Protesters interrupted a Senate committee meeting, loudly chanting
“Hands off our vote!” After senators suspended the hearing, state
troopers cleared people from the room. Senators resumed their work
elsewhere, advancing the legislation.
Later Wednesday, protesters in the hallway beat on the walls and doors
of a committee room where senators were meeting. A House committee also
paused its work as state troopers escorted chanting protesters from the
room.
The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March, but
legislation would reopen it to allow new candidates to join the races
and existing candidates to switch districts. The primary election is
Aug. 6.
Democrats noted that the state Supreme Court in April 2022 rejected a
challenge to the current congressional map, finding it was too close to
the election to make changes. This year, there’s even less time before
the primary elections, raising the potential of confusion for both
candidates and voters, Democrats said.
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People protest in a Senate committee meeting during a special
session of the state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional voting
maps Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George
Walker IV)
Alabama House backs a new primary
The Republican-led Alabama House on Wednesday passed legislation
authorizing special congressional primaries as Republicans eye the
possibility of getting a different congressional map in place for
the November elections. The bill now moves to the state Senate.
Alabama is seeking to lift a federal court order that created a
second congressional district with a near-majority of Black voters.
That map led to the 2024 election of Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black
Democrat. Republicans want instead to use a 2023 map drawn by state
lawmakers that would give the GOP an opportunity to reclaim Figures’
south Alabama district.
The legislation won House approval on a party-line vote after four
hours of fiery debate during which Black legislators said the moment
calls back to the state’s shameful Jim Crow-era history.
“It’s a tragic step backward for Black Alabama voters. But we’ve
been here before, and we will not give up this fight,” Democratic
state Rep. Adline Clarke said.
Democratic state Rep. Juandalynn Givan likened the legislation to
poll taxes and counting jelly beans in a jar — a virtually
impossible task that was used to suppress Black voters during the
Jim Crow era.
“It is a calculated political maneuver born out of fear, a fear that
is of Black people and most importantly Black political power,”
Givan said.
Tensions rose later Wednesday as dozens of protesters temporarily
blocked a hallway outside the Senate, singing “We Shall Overcome”
and shouting “we’re not going back” as security officers tried to
get them to leave.
Alabama's legislation hinges on the U.S. Supreme Court or a district
court agreeing to lift the injunction.
“We’re going to be ready if the court hands down a favorable
ruling,” said Republican state Rep. Chris Pringle, who sponsored the
bill.
Alabama’s primaries are May 19. If a court grants the state’s
request, the legislation would ignore the results for congressional
seats and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under the
revised districts.
South Carolina moves toward redistricting
The South Carolina House on Wednesday approved a resolution giving
lawmakers permission to return later, after their regular work ends,
to redraw congressional districts that could eliminate the state’s
only Democratic-held district. The proposal now goes to the Senate,
where it would need a two-thirds vote.
Republican House leaders said after the vote that they plan to
introduce a new map Thursday and hold committee meetings on Friday.
But during debate Wednesday, Republicans fended off specific
questions from Democrats, including why they were willing to stop
the June 9 U.S. House primary elections well after candidates filed
and how much a rescheduled primary could cost.
Democratic Rep. Justin Bamberg said he felt sorry for Republicans
who he said were giving up their principles to follow the whims of
Trump.
“The president of the United States is a very powerful man. Wields a
heavy, heavy thumb — Truth Social, X, Meta, Instagram. To be honest
I don’t envy our Republican colleagues,” Bamberg said.
Democratic Rep. Leon Stavrinakis said democracy will die if
lawmakers redraw voting districts for political reasons every time
power changes or to protect someone in office.
___
Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama; Collins from Columbia,
South Carolina; and Lieb from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated
Press reporter Kristin M. Hall contributed.
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