Photo Credit: Associated Press
As a leader of the College Democrats at Vanderbilt University, Luci Wingo knew the odds of a Democrat winning one of Nashville’s three U.S. House seats weren’t great. Yet her hope grew as the party mounted an aggressive campaign for its candidate, Aftyn Behn, in a special election to replace a Republican who had resigned. In the end, high Democratic enthusiasm and millions of dollars in spending weren’t enough. Republican Matt Van Epps won Tuesday’s vote by 9 percentage points — a closer margin than the district’s last election, yet still a victory for the GOP that seemed all but certain based on how the district was drawn. Republicans had split the unified Democratic stronghold of Nashville into three GOP-leaning districts after the last census.
As states wage a mid-decade redistricting battle initiated by President Donald Trump, Tennessee’s special election illustrates the power of
manipulative mapmaking and provides a window into what lies ahead in the states that are rushing to redraw their congressional maps for next year’s midterm elections.
Nashville had been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper for 20 years when the Republican-controlled state Legislature decided in 2022 to use the latest census data to carve up the city in a quest to flip his seat to Republicans.
Some parts of Nashville were placed in two sprawling rural districts to the east and west, both represented by Republicans. The portion retaining Cooper’s district number was redrawn to twist southward into another rural Republican-leaning area.
Cooper, a moderate-leaning lawmaker, decided not to seek reelection that year, and Republicans won all three seats by comfortable margins.
Republicans carried all three districts again last year. They won by 17 percentage points in Cooper’s former 5th District, by nearly 22 points in the westward 7th District — which includes downtown Nashville, well-known historically Black areas and major universities — and by 36 points in the eastward 6th District.
As states wage a mid-decade redistricting battle initiated by President Donald Trump, Tennessee’s special election illustrates the power of
manipulative mapmaking and provides a window into what lies ahead in the states that are rushing to redraw their congressional maps for next year’s midterm elections.
Nashville had been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper for 20 years when the Republican-controlled state Legislature decided in 2022 to use the latest census data to carve up the city in a quest to flip his seat to Republicans.
Some parts of Nashville were placed in two sprawling rural districts to the east and west, both represented by Republicans. The portion retaining Cooper’s district number was redrawn to twist southward into another rural Republican-leaning area.
Cooper, a moderate-leaning lawmaker, decided not to seek reelection that year, and Republicans won all three seats by comfortable margins.
Republicans carried all three districts again last year. They won by 17 percentage points in Cooper’s former 5th District, by nearly 22 points in the westward 7th District — which includes downtown Nashville, well-known historically Black areas and major universities — and by 36 points in the eastward 6th District.