NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District stretches from the Alabama border to the edge of Kentucky, connecting rural towns, suburbs, and small slices of downtown Nashville into one of the most unusually shaped districts in the state.
In a TikTok video posted Monday, state Rep. Aftyn Behn, the Democratic nominee in the district’s December special election, called the map a “perfect test case of American gerrymandering.” Speaking with a large district map behind her, Behn pointed out how neighborhoods in Davidson and Williamson counties have been divided in ways that split communities and even streets.
“You’ll see that Davidson and Williamson Counties were split and cut up a bit,” Behn said. “If you live in the Belmont or Germantown area, congratulations — you live in the Italian boot of the 7th Congressional District.”
Behn guided viewers through a tongue-in-cheek “road trip” around the map, noting that one side of Charlotte Pike in Nashville belongs to the district while the opposite side does not. She mentioned a Kroger in Thompson’s Station that falls inside the district, even though nearby neighborhoods are excluded. “Who knows what’s going on here — probably some strip mall that some Republican wanted,” she joked. Her video concluded by calling the 7th “the beautiful remnants of American gerrymandering.”
How Tennessee redrew its districts
After the 2020 Census, the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved new congressional and legislative maps in early 2022. For the first time in modern history, the city of Nashville was divided among three U.S. House districts, dismantling its longtime Democratic-leaning seat and leaving Memphis as the state’s only reliably Democratic district.
State lawmakers said the maps complied with population requirements and federal law. Democrats and open-government groups accused the legislature of manipulating boundaries to dilute the city’s influence. A federal appeals court later upheld the U.S. House map, describing it as a partisan gerrymander but not a racial gerrymander under federal law. Because the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering claims are not subject to federal review, the decision left the map in place.
Tennessee’s congressional and state legislative maps are drawn by the General Assembly and approved like any other bill, with the governor holding veto power. State law sets only two firm rules: districts must have roughly equal populations and comply with the federal Voting Rights Act. There are no additional requirements for compactness, keeping counties or communities together, or public transparency, which gives lawmakers broad control over how the lines are drawn.
The 7th District in focus
The 7th District links parts of north and west Nashville to a corridor of conservative counties running through Williamson, Maury, Hickman, Perry, and Wayne before reaching the Alabama line. Within Davidson County, it slices through neighborhoods such as Germantown, the Gulch, Hillsboro Village, and parts of Madison — sometimes splitting communities street by street.
The result is a district that blends urban neighborhoods with distant rural areas whose priorities and demographics differ sharply. Campaigns in the 7th must operate across multiple media markets and local economies, tailoring messages to both city voters and small-town residents.
National redistricting battles
Behn’s criticism lands amid a broader wave of mid-decade redistricting nationwide. Traditionally, states redraw congressional lines once every ten years after the census. In 2025, several legislatures reopened the process mid-cycle, turning map-drawing into an ongoing partisan contest.
President Donald Trump has urged Republican-led states to pursue new maps to solidify the party’s narrow U.S. House majority ahead of the 2026 midterms. Democrats have pursued counter-moves where they control state governments. Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Indiana have advanced or approved GOP-favored changes this year, while Democrats in California and Virginia are weighing revisions projected to yield additional seats.
Nonpartisan analysts estimate that partisan gerrymanders nationally account for a significant tilt in House seats under current lines. The balance of power could shift further depending on which states finalize new maps before 2026 filing deadlines and how courts rule on pending challenges.
A bipartisan practice
Although Tennessee’s current map was drawn by Republicans, both parties have used redistricting to gain advantage when they control the process. Earlier eras in Tennessee saw Democratic-drawn maps that protected incumbents; in today’s cycle, Democratic-led states have faced similar accusations. The pattern is structural: when legislators draw the maps, partisan incentives dominate unless constrained by clear criteria or independent oversight.
Why it matters for Tennessee voters
Gerrymandering affects more than campaign strategy. When districts are engineered for one party’s dominance, elections become less competitive and representatives face fewer incentives to appeal beyond their base. That influences budget priorities, oversight, and constituent service.
Within Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, the mix of fragmented urban neighborhoods and deeply conservative rural counties means voters who share schools, roads, or local services can end up represented by different members of Congress. Behn argues those boundaries contribute to policy outcomes she opposes, tying the district’s design to affordability concerns, rural hospital closures, and tariff-linked price increases. Republicans counter that the map follows the law and reflects legitimate population shifts, and note that Democrats also redraw lines to their advantage in states they control.
Reform and realities
Reform options used in other states include independent or citizen redistricting commissions, statutory criteria such as compactness and community integrity, stronger transparency rules, and clearer state-law judicial standards.
Tennessee has not adopted those changes, leaving the process in legislative hands. Supporters say commissions and criteria can improve public trust; opponents argue elected legislators should remain accountable for map decisions.
The bottom line
The 7th District shows how geography and power intersect. Behn’s “Italian boot” tour made a technical issue accessible to casual viewers, and it has renewed attention on how Tennessee draws its lines. As both parties race to finalize new maps elsewhere before 2026, Tennessee’s experience underscores what is at stake: the boundaries that define a district can determine not only who wins an election but also which voices are heard in Washington.
Discover more from TNPOLITICO
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
