Redistricting
Counterpoints to Nashville Scene coverage of the 2026 Tennessee congressional redistricting fight. Mid-decade map redraws, Memphis splits, partisan motives, and the receipts both parties forget when they're not the ones holding the pen.
The Scene's Midterm Guide Deserves a Second Opinion
The Scene's series has solid reporting and loaded wording. Here is where the framing leans, and the conservative case on the issues on your ballot.
Responding to: "Who's Who in the Midterms," Nashville Scene · Cover Story series
Politics · RedistrictingThe Scene Built Four Cover Stories on a Legal Theory a Court Had Already Rejected
The "Seeing Red" package says the Memphis maps are racist, wrong, and "should not be enforced." A unanimous three-judge panel disagreed two days before it ran.
Responding to: "Seeing Red: Outnumbered State Democrats Fight Redistricting in Court," Nashville Scene Cover Package
PoliticsNashville Scene's Gerrymandering Panic Ignores One Inconvenient Truth
The left suddenly discovered partisan redistricting exists. But only after Tennessee Republicans started winning with it.
Responding to: "Opinion: GOP Gerrymandering at Any Cost," Betsy Phillips, Nashville Scene
Politics · RedistrictingTennessee Republicans Aren't Trump Loyalists. They're Just Winning.
Phillips' theory is that the special session proves the TN GOP is in Trump's pocket. The simpler theory: partisan opportunity, not religious devotion.
Responding to: "Opinion: The Tennessee GOP's Boundless Trump Loyalism," Betsy Phillips, Nashville Scene
Politics · Tennessee DemocratsThe Memphis Outrage Is Choreographed From Washington
The anger is real. The script around it is being written in DC. Motycka's piece accidentally tells you who's coordinating Tennessee Democrats' redistricting messaging.
Responding to: "Anatomy of a Gerrymander: Memphis Split in Three," Eli Motycka, Nashville Scene