“… In another incredibly interesting development, the Virginia Supreme Court just put a new state district map that gave Democrats a 10 to 1 advantage on hold, as they declared the recent gerrymander approved by a voter referendum in April to be “null and void” in a 4-3 decision. The decision gives Republicans the advantage in this nationwide redistricting war -- really a massive victory on May 8th and a ruling that stated Democrats unlawfully ratified a lopsided congressional map to give themselves four more House seats in the midterm elections.

Tennessee is not isolated but part of a broader mid-decade scramble — the most active since the 19th century — spanning partisan lines. In the South, Republican-led states are leveraging the Callais ruling to undo race-predominant maps. Louisiana postponed its May 16th primaries to redraw, likely eliminating a second majority-Black district and favoring Republicans by one or two seats. Alabama seeks to revert to a 2023 map reducing Black voting-age population in a key district from ~48% to ~39%, potentially reclaiming a seat. South Carolina targets Rep. Jim Clyburn’s district (nearly 50% Black), splitting it to pursue a 7-0 GOP sweep. Mississippi signals interest in challenging Rep. Bennie Thompson’s majority-Black district.

In his report today, Jeff Childers [C&C News] detailed:

“Mayhem equally ensued in Alabama. In a real-life Shakespearean weather metaphor, Republican lawmakers completed the redistricting vote during a storm evacuation. All the while, Democrat officials screamed gibberish like King Lear, refused to leave the lectern, . Meanwhile, mandatory evacuation notices lit up everyone’s phones, water began floating lawmakers’ cars away, and floodwaters seeped into the state house’s ground floor, making the hallways look a lot like the flume ride at Walt Disney World.”

These moves respond to decades of Voting Rights Act interpretations that packed Democratic (often Black) voters into safe seats while cracking conservative areas. Tennessee’s 9th District, backing Kamala Harris by 43 points in 2024 analyses, exemplified this. Spreading Shelby County voters aligns districts with the state’s overall conservative tilt (Trump won Tennessee by 30+ points). Republicans emphasize politics and population, not race, complying with the Court’s equal protection mandate.

Democrats counter aggressively. Texas Republicans redrew to target up to five Democratic seats, prompting California voters to approve Democratic-led changes expected to net five seats. Virginia’s referendum enables Democratic redraws potentially adding four seats. Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio saw Republican adjustments for gains of one to four seats each. This tit-for-tat reflects federalism: states exercising sovereignty within constitutional bounds after judicial clarification.

Comparatively, Tennessee’s approach is restrained. As a deep-red state (Trump +30), its map seeks uniformity with its electorate rather than maximal aggression. Democratic states like California and Illinois have long employed aggressive gerrymanders favoring urban cores. The difference lies in philosophy: conservatives increasingly reject race as a proxy for interest, while “progressives” -- read “Democrat Party Communists” -- defend it as essential “representation.” This reveals a core cleavage — color-blind equality versus identity-based equity. …”