These elections were the first under Tennessee's new congressional map after redistricting was completed by the state government. During the general elections, Republican Andy Ogles flipped Tennessee's 5th congressional district, which was previously represented by Democrat Jim Cooper.
Redistricting
The Tennessee Legislature drew new maps for Tennessee's congressional districts to account for the new 2020 census data. The Republican Party had a trifecta in the Tennessee Government at the time, giving them full control of the redistricting process. Legislators drew the maps for the state from late 2021 through early 2022.[2] The maps that were eventually passed were widely criticized as partisan gerrymanders.[3][4]
In particular, the redistricting split up the House district which had represented Democrat-heavy Nashville as long as Tennessee had been a state.[5] The three districts that absorbed the city were then all won by Republicans, giving them 89% of Tennessee's U.S. House seats despite only getting 64% of the popular vote. This split also prevented urban voters from electing an African-American representative to the U.S. House,[5] despite representing about 17% of the population.[6]
The 2nd district is located in eastern Tennessee, anchored by Knoxville. The district was barely impacted by the 2020 redistricting cycle. The incumbent was Republican Tim Burchett, who was re-elected with 67.6% of the vote in 2020 and won re-election in 2022.
The 3rd district encompasses most of the Chattanooga metro in eastern Tennessee, along with several suburban and rural areas near Knoxville and the Tri-Cities. The district was barely impacted by the 2020 redistricting cycle. However, under the new lines, the district no longer touches the border of Kentucky. The incumbent was Republican Chuck Fleischmann, who was re-elected with 67.3% of the vote in 2020 and won re-election in 2022.
The 4th district encompasses the southern part of Middle Tennessee, including Murfreesboro and Lynchburg. The district was barely impacted by the 2020 redistricting cycle, though it does take up more of the southern border of the state. The incumbent was Republican Scott DesJarlais, who was re-elected with 66.7% of the vote in 2020 and won re-election in 2022.
The 5th district was previously centered on Nashville and the immediate surrounding suburbs, and it also used to contain parts of Cheatham and Dickson county. The incumbent was Democrat Jim Cooper, who ran unopposed in 2020.
Under the new Republican redistricting map, the new 5th district shifted from D+7 to R+9 and contains only a small southern part of Nashville, as well as some suburban counties, and some rural counties. The 6th and 7th districts absorbed the western and eastern parts of Davidson county, respectively.[33]
In the general election, Republican Andy Ogles defeated Democratic challenger Heidi Campbell. With Ogles' victory, he became the first Republican in 150 years to represent Nashville in the House of Representatives.
The results were controversial, mainly revolving around the state's gerrymandering, which many experts believed was what allowed Ogles to win.[84] There were also some controversies around Ogles himself, who later came under fire over disputes involving his career and education.
2022 Tennessee's 5th congressional district election[23]
The 6th district takes in the eastern suburbs of Nashville and the northern part of Middle Tennessee, including Hendersonville and Lebanon. The incumbent was Republican John Rose, who was re-elected with 73.7% of the vote in 2020 and won re-election in 2022.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
John Rose, incumbent U.S. Representative (2019–present)
The 7th district encompasses the southern suburbs of Nashville and western rural areas of Middle Tennessee, including the city of Clarksville. The incumbent was Republican Mark Green, who was re-elected with 69.9% of the vote in 2020 and won re-election in 2022. Green's district was significantly impacted by redistricting, as he now represents a more central part of Tennessee. The 8th district absorbed most of Green's constituents in the western portion of the state.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
Mark Green, incumbent U.S. Representative (2019–present)[85]
Despite Green's comfortable win, with only 60% of the vote received, this was the worst he had performed since his 2018 election. This was the result of gerrymandering, where the new district included part of Davidson County.
2022 Tennessee's 7th congressional district election[23]
The 9th district is based in Memphis. Redistricting left the 9th district intact, but it moved from having a 53% Democratic-leaning seat to a 43% Democratic-leaning seat after taking on some Republican-leaning suburbs. The incumbent was Democrat Steve Cohen, who was re-elected with 77.4% of the vote in 2020 and re-elected in 2022.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
Steve Cohen, incumbent U.S. Representative (2007–present)[91][8]
Eliminated in primary
M. Latroy Alexandria-Williams, perennial candidate[8]
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^Jones, Vivian (January 11, 2022). "State legislature returns with redistricting at the forefront". Main Street Nashville. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
^Witherspoon, Andrew; Levine, Sam (January 26, 2022). "A masterclass in election-rigging: how Republicans 'dismembered' a Democratic stronghold". The Guardian. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
^"GOP redraws Nashville from 1 Democratic district into 3 Republican-leaning districts". WJCT News. July 26, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
^ abMichael Wines (February 18, 2022). "In Nashville, a Gerrymander Goes Beyond Politics to the City's Core". The New York Times.
^ abcdefghijklmnop"US House Petitions" (PDF). Tennessee SOS. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
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^ abcdefghiState of Tennessee General Election Results, November 8, 2022, Results By Office (PDF) (Report). Secretary of State of Tennessee. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^"Representative Tim Burchett introduces bill to implement term limits for new members of Congress". December 2, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
^"UTK Professor will run in 2022". UT Daily Beacon. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
^ abcdSchelzig, Eric (May 24, 2022). "AFL-CIO makes endorsements in state, federal races". Retrieved May 25, 2022.
^ ab"Former President Trump Endorses Congressman Chuck Fleischmann". The Tennessee Star. November 11, 2021. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
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^"Kenny Morgan Enters Race For 3rd Congressional District Seat". www.chattanoogan.com. The Chattanoogan. November 18, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
^"Kenny Morgan Dropping Third District Congressional Race As GOP Finds Him "Not Bona Fide"". www.chattanoogan.com. The Chattanoogan. March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
^Schelzig, Eric (January 25, 2022). "Jim Cooper to retire from Congress after 5th District redistricting". The Tennessee Journal. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
^Lamb, Jason (January 24, 2022). "House Republicans approve congressional redistricting plan". News Channel 5 Nashville. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
^"What Redistricting Looks Like In Every State". FiveThirtyEight. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
^"State Sen. Heidi Campbell is Running for Congress".
^Brown, Melissa. "Sen. Heidi Campbell announces candidacy for 5th Congressional District". Retrieved April 4, 2022.
^McGee, Nikki (January 25, 2022). "Congressman Jim Cooper announces he won't seek reelection". WKRN News Channel 2 Nashville. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
^"Democratic Rep. Cooper retiring after GOP redraws district". The Middletown Press. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
^ ab"1st Dem Picks US House Contest in Newly Carved up Nashville". www.usnews.com. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
^ abcdElliott, Stephen (April 5, 2021). "Odessa Kelly running for Cooper's congressional seat". Nashville Post. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
^"Welcome to the BNC 2022 Slate @OdessaKellyTN for #TN05! Odessa is a career civil servant & Executive Dir. of @StandUpNash. She's running a bold progressive campaign to fight for the working families of Nashville. Split a donation between BNC & Odessa now!".
^ abcd"Kelly picks up endorsements from national progressive groups". www.tennesseelookout.com. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
^ abBaird, Addy (April 5, 2021). "The Progressive Group That Helped Bring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez To Congress Is Launching Its First Primary Challenge Of 2022". BuzzFeed News.
^ abYu, Yue Stella (September 2, 2021). "SEIU, union helping fund Stand Up Nashville, endorses Odessa Kelly for Congress". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
^ abMcCall, Holly (September 2, 2021). "Odessa Kelly picks up national SEIU endorsement". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
^"Congressman Jim Cooper endorses Sen. Heidi Campbell for his seat". WTVF. August 8, 2022.
^"Former Gov. Phil Bredesen endorses Democrat Heidi Campbell in Congressional race". WTVF. October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
^"Former Republican state rep. of Hendersonville urges people to vote Democrat in election". October 21, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ ab"2022 CWA Endorsed Candidates - Tennessee". February 2, 2022.
^"HEIDI CAMPBELL EARNS LCV ACTION FUND ENDORSEMENT TO FIGHT FOR TENNESSEE COMMUNITIES IN CONGRESS". October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
^"SEIU Local 205 Endorses Heidi Campbell For Congress". May 31, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
^ abc"Endorsed By Three Time Grammy Winner Lucinda Williams, Stella Parton, Devon Gilfillian, Campaign Fundraising Hits One Million Dollars". The Tennessee Tribune. October 28, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ abRau, Nate (January 19, 2022). "Redistricting could lead to new congressional candidates". Axios. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
^Bartlett, Kerri. "No newcomers: Maury mayor Andy Ogles argues local 'roots' should stay in 5th District after Ortagus bid". www.columbiadailyherald.com. Daily Herald. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
^Bartlett, Kerri (March 22, 2022). "Maury County's Andy Ogles announces run for 5th Congressional District". www.columbiadailyherald.com. Daily Herald. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^"Natisha Brooks". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
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^"Harwell considering congressional run if the lines are right". Tennessee Lookout. June 10, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
^Brown, Melissa. "Beth Harwell joins candidate field in new-look 5th Congressional District". www.tennessean.com. The Tennessean. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^Friedman, Adam; Washburn, Logan. "Nashville judge restores Robby Starbuck to 5th congressional Republican primary ballot". www.tennessean.com. The Tennessean. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
^Friedman, Adam; Brown, Melissa. "Morgan Otragus nabs Trump endorsement for Tennessee 5th, others mull candidacy". www.tennessean.com. The Tennessean. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
^"Former National Guard Brig. Gen. Kurt Winstead enters 5th Congressional District race". The Tennessean.
^Brown, Melissa. "Baxter Lee, Andy Ogles launch 5th Congressional District campaigns". www.tennessean.com. The Tennessean. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
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^Reynolds, Jason M. (March 2, 2021). "Nashville Congressional Candidate Quincy McKnight Says Jim Cooper Has Served Long Enough". Tennessee Star. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
^Stephenson, Cassandra. "Quincy McKnight withdraws from 5th district race: Nashville mayor bid". www.tennessean.com. The Tennessean. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
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^"Maggie's List announces four new endorsements for the 2022 election cycle". Maggie's List. March 17, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
^ abVivian Jones (May 14, 2021). "Republican challenger would be first Black man to represent Nashville in Congress". Main Street Nashville.
^White, Gary. "Endorsed by Trump, Polk native Morgan Ortagus at center of Tennessee Congressional fight". The Ledger.
^Natalie Allison (June 18, 2021). "Robby Starbuck, a Franklin Republican, runs for Congress in Nashville with Rand Paul's endorsement". Tennessean.
^ abcdEvan Palmer (January 26, 2022). "Donald Trump Supporters Denounce His Decision Not to Endorse Robby Starbuck". Newsweek.
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