Lead

Voters in Tennessee and Hawaii headed to the polls this week for a round of midterm primaries that will determine the Republican and Democratic candidates for November's elections. In Tennessee, the electoral landscape has been significantly altered by a newly redrawn congressional map and a recent Supreme Court ruling, while Hawaii's incumbents face challenges from multiple opponents.

Coverage comparison

Reports from Al Jazeera and The Guardian—World highlighted the impact of Tennessee's redistricting on the primaries and the broader political stakes. The new congressional district map, redrawn in May, is seen as a central element of President Donald Trump's plan to maintain Republican control of the House, where the party holds a slim majority.

The Supreme Court's April ruling weakened protections for minority voters under the federal Voting Rights Act, allowing Tennessee's legislature to redraw its map and break apart the state's only majority-Black district. The new ninth district stretches about 200 miles east from Memphis across rural areas before reaching north toward Nashville, a change that has shifted the district's political leanings.

Key claims

  • Tennessee's congressional map was redrawn in May, one of roughly 10 states to reconfigure maps since 2025.
  • The election is seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term.
  • The US Supreme Court weakened protections for minority voters under the Voting Rights Act in April, enabling the redrawing of Tennessee's map.
  • Republicans hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives.
  • Senator Marsha Blackburn won the Republican nomination for governor, defeating US Representative John Rose.
  • US Representative Andy Ogles lost the Republican primary in Tennessee's fifth district to Charlie Hatcher, the state's former agriculture commissioner.
  • Charlie Hatcher won the Republican nomination, despite lacking Trump's endorsement, while Ogles had received Trump's "complete and total endorsement" earlier on the day of the primary.
  • The new ninth district was previously a compact Memphis-based district with a majority Black population, but was split apart by Republican officials.
  • Six current members of the US House of Representatives are running unopposed in their primary races.

Perspectives

Republican leadership

Republican officials and President Trump have supported redistricting efforts in Tennessee as part of a broader national plan to maintain control of Congress. The redrawn map is seen as an opportunity for a clean sweep of all nine of Tennessee's congressional seats.

Democratic and minority voters

Memphis voters and Democratic officials have raised concerns that the redistricting diminishes their representation, as the majority-Black district was broken apart. The Supreme Court ruling that allowed this redrawing has been criticized for weakening federal protections for minority voters.