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Tennessee's 9th congressional district

U.S. House district for Tennessee

Tennessee's 9th congressional district
Summary

U.S. House district for Tennessee

FieldValue
stateTennessee
district number9
image name
image captionInteractive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
representativeSteve Cohen
partyDemocratic
residenceMemphis
distribution ref
percent urban98.54
percent rural1.46
population749,932
population year2024
median income$55,603
percent white25.2
percent hispanic9.2
percent black60.2
percent asian2.0
percent more than one race2.8
percent other race0.6
cpviD+23

| percent more than one race = 2.8 Tennessee's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in West Tennessee, covering most of Memphis and its inner suburbs. It has been represented by Democrat Steve Cohen since 2007.

The district was re-created as a result of the redistricting cycle after the 1980 census. The district is almost exclusively urban, due to its mostly cohabitant nature with Memphis.

Memphis is recognized worldwide for being the hub for FedEx. Largely due to FedEx's presence, Memphis International Airport handles more cargo than any other airport in the country. Memphis is also known for blues music, Beale Street, and barbecue.

It is the only majority minority congressional district in Tennessee. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+23, it is the only Democratic district in Tennessee. Since 1875, the area has sent mostly Democrats to Congress with the exception of a brief period from 1967 to 1975 when it was represented by Republican Dan Kuykendall.

Current boundaries

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities:

Shelby County (4)

: Bartlett (part; also 8th), Collierville (part; also 8th), Memphis (part; also 8th), Millington

Tipton County (8)

: Atoka (part; also 8th), Brighton (part; also 8th), Burlison, Covington (part; also 8th), Garland, Gilt Edge, Munford, Randolph

Recent election results from statewide races

YearOfficeResults
2008PresidentObama 73% - 26%
2012PresidentObama 74% - 26%
2016PresidentClinton 72% - 25%
2018SenateBredesen 75% - 23%
GovernorDean 70% - 26%
2020PresidentBiden 73% - 25%
SenateBradshaw 71% - 26%
2022GovernorMartin 65% - 33%
2024PresidentHarris 70% - 28%
SenateJohnson 68% - 29%

History

Arguably, the district's current characteristics began to take shape in 1925 — the first year a congressional district consisted exclusively of Shelby County.

A congressional district was perfectly coextensive with Shelby County from 1925 until 1966, numbered as the 10th from 1925 to 1933 and from 1943 to 1953, then the 9th from 1933 to 1943 and the 9th from 1953 to 1966.

In 1966, the Supreme Court case Baker v. Carr took effect. In that ruling, the court laid out a "one man, one vote" standard. Prior to 1966, the 9th was nearly ten times larger in population than the nearby 7th and 8th.

1967 was the first year where the district covered merely a fraction of Shelby County rather than the county's entirety. In that election, the district chose former US Senate Republican nominee Dan Kuykendall. The district was renumbered the 8th in 1973 and was pushed further into Memphis. In 1974, in the midst of Watergate, Kuykendall supported Nixon throughout the scandal, and was subsequently defeated by Democrat Harold Ford Sr., whose family had strong political ties in Memphis dating back to at least the 1920s.

The district has voted Democratic in every congressional race since 1974. After the 1980 census saw it become the 9th once again and was drawn as a black-majority district. This allowed the Democrats to consolidate their hold on the seat. With most of Memphis' wealthier and now heavily Republican eastern portion now in the 7th, the GOP largely lost interest in the 9th; only nominal Republican candidates have run there from 1982 onward.

Ford served in Congress for 22 years, when he was replaced by his son — Harold Ford Jr. — in 1997. The younger Ford served for ten years, until he mounted an unsuccessful bid for US Senate. Concurrent to Ford's senate bid, the district chose state senator Steve Cohen over Ford's brother Jake, with the Republicans pushed into third place. Cohen is noted for being Tennessee's first Jewish congressman, and was the first white Democrat to represent a significant portion of Memphis in 40 years. He has been elected seven times, and since 2022 has been the only Democrat in the state's delegation.

List of members representing the district

NamePartyYearsCong
ressElectoral history
District established March 4, 1823
Adam R. Alexander
(Jackson)Democratic-RepublicannowrapMarch 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825Elected in 1823.
Re-elected in 1825.
Lost re-election.
JacksoniannowrapMarch 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1827
[[File:David Crockett.jpg100px]]
Davy Crockett
(Crockett)JacksoniannowrapMarch 4, 1827 –
March 3, 1829Elected in 1827.
Re-elected in 1829.
Lost re-election.
Anti-JacksoniannowrapMarch 4, 1829 –
March 3, 1831
William Fitzgerald
(Dresden)JacksoniannowrapMarch 4, 1831 –
March 3, 1833Elected in 1831.
Redistricted to the and lost re-election.
[[File:James Polk restored.jpg100px]]
James K. Polk
(Columbia)JacksoniannowrapMarch 4, 1833 –
March 3, 1837Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1833.
Re-elected in 1835.
Re-elected in 1837.
Retired to run for Governor of Tennessee.
DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1839
Harvey M. Watterson
(Shelbyville)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1839 –
March 3, 1843Elected in 1839.
Re-elected in 1841.
Retired.
[[File:Cave Johnson.jpg100px]]
Cave Johnson
(Clarksville)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1843 –
March 3, 1845Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1843.
Retired.
Lucien B. Chase
(Clarksville)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1845 –
March 3, 1849Elected in 1845.
Re-elected in 1847.
Retired.
[[File:Portrait of Governor Isham G. Harris.jpg100px]]
Isham G. Harris
(Paris)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1849 –
March 3, 1853Elected in 1849.
Re-elected in 1851.
Retired.
[[File:Emerson Etheridge - Brady-Handy.jpg100px]]
Emerson Etheridge
(Dresden)WhignowrapMarch 4, 1853 –
March 3, 1855Elected in 1853.
Re-elected in 1855.
Lost re-election.
Know NothingnowrapMarch 4, 1855 –
March 3, 1857
[[File:John DeWitt Clinton Atkins - Brady-Handy.jpg100px]]
John D. C. Atkins
(Paris)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1857 –
March 3, 1859Elected in 1857.
Lost re-election.
[[File:Emerson Etheridge - Brady-Handy.jpg100px]]
Emerson Etheridge
(Dresden)OppositionnowrapMarch 4, 1859 –
March 3, 1861Elected in 1859.
Retired after West Tennessee seceded.
District inactivenowrapMarch 4, 1861 –
March 3, 1863Civil War
District dissolved March 4, 1863
District re-established March 4, 1873
[[File:BarbourLewis.jpg100px]]
Barbour Lewis
(Memphis)RepublicannowrapMarch 4, 1873 –
March 3, 1875Elected in 1872.
Redistricted to the and lost re-election.
[[File:William Parker Caldwell - Brady-Handy.jpg100px]]
William P. Caldwell
(Gardner)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1879Elected in 1874.
Re-elected in 1876.
Retired.
[[File:Charles B. Simonton (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
Charles B. Simonton
(Covington)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1879 –
March 3, 1883Elected in 1878.
Re-elected in 1880.
Retired.
[[File:Rice A. Pierce (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
Rice A. Pierce
(Union City)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1883 –
March 3, 1885Elected in 1882.
Lost renomination.
[[File:Presley T Glass.jpg100px]]
Presley T. Glass
(Ripley)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1885 –
March 3, 1889Elected in 1884.
Re-elected in 1886.
Lost renomination.
[[File:Rice A. Pierce (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
Rice A. Pierce
(Union City)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1889 –
March 3, 1893Elected in 1888.
Re-elected in 1890.
Lost re-election as an Independent Democrat.
[[File:James C. McDearmon (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
James C. McDearmon
(Trenton)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1893 –
March 3, 1897Elected in 1892.
Re-elected in 1894.
Lost renomination.
[[File:Rice A. Pierce (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
Rice A. Pierce
(Union City)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1897 –
March 3, 1905Elected in 1896.
Re-elected in 1898.
Re-elected in 1900.
Re-elected in 1902.
Lost renomination.
[[File:Finis J. Garrett (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
Finis J. Garrett
(Dresden)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1905 –
March 3, 1929Elected in 1904.
Re-elected in 1906.
Re-elected in 1908.
Re-elected in 1910.
Re-elected in 1912.
Re-elected in 1914.
Re-elected in 1916.
Re-elected in 1918.
Re-elected in 1920.
Re-elected in 1922.
Re-elected in 1924.
Re-elected in 1926.
Retired to run for U.S. senator.
[[File:Jere Cooper (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
Jere Cooper
(Dyersburg)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1929 –
March 3, 1933Elected in 1928.
Re-elected in 1930.
Redistricted to the .
[[File:E.H. Crump cph.3b20183.jpg100px]]
E.H. Crump
(Memphis)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1933 –
January 3, 1935Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1932.
Retired.
[[File:Walter Clift Chandler (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
Clift Chandler
(Memphis)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 1935 –
January 2, 1940Elected in 1934.
Re-elected in 1936.
Re-elected in 1938.
Resigned when elected Mayor of Memphis.
VacantnowrapJanuary 2, 1940 –
February 15, 1940
[[File:Clifford Davis.jpg100px]]
Clifford Davis
(Memphis)DemocraticnowrapFebruary 15, 1940 –
January 3, 1943Elected to finish Chandler's term.
Re-elected in 1940.
Redistricted to the .
[[File:Jere Cooper (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
Jere Cooper
(Dyersburg)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 1943 –
January 3, 1953Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1942.
Re-elected in 1944.
Re-elected in 1946.
Re-elected in 1948.
Re-elected in 1950.
Redistricted to the .
[[File:Clifford Davis.jpg100px]]
Clifford Davis
(Memphis)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 1953 –
January 3, 1965Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1952.
Re-elected in 1954.
Re-elected in 1956.
Re-elected in 1958.
Re-elected in 1960.
Re-elected in 1962.
Lost renomination.
[[File:George W. Grider (Tennessee Congressman).jpg100px]]
George Grider
(Memphis)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 1965 –
January 3, 1967Elected in 1964.
Lost re-election.
[[File:Dan Kuykendall.jpg100px]]
Dan Kuykendall
(Memphis)RepublicannowrapJanuary 3, 1967 –
January 3, 1973Elected in 1966.
Re-elected in 1968.
Re-elected in 1970.
Redistricted to the .
District dissolved January 3, 1973
District re-established January 3, 1983
[[File:Harold Ford, Sr.jpg100px]]
Harold Ford Sr.
(Memphis)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 1983 –
January 3, 1997Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1982.
Re-elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Re-elected in 1990.
Re-elected in 1992.
Re-elected in 1994.
Retired.
[[File:Harold Ford, Congressional photo portrait.jpg100px]]
Harold Ford Jr.
(Memphis)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 1997 –
January 3, 2007Elected in 1996.
Re-elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000.
Re-elected in 2002.
Re-elected in 2004.
Retired to run for U.S. senator.
[[File:Steve Cohen official blue.jpg100px]]
Steve Cohen
(Memphis)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 2007 –
presentElected in 2006.
Re-elected in 2008.
Re-elected in 2010.
Re-elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Re-elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.
Re-elected in 2022.
Re-elected in 2024.

Recent election results

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Historical district boundaries

'''2003–2013'''}}
'''2013–2023'''}}
'''2023–present'''}}

References

References

  1. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". US Census Bureau Geography.
  2. "My Congressional District". Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau.
  3. "My Congressional District".
  4. "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)".
  5. [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST47/CD118_TN01.pdf https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST47/CD118_TN09.pdf]
  6. "Dra 2020".
  7. "U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES / TENNESSEE 09". [[CNN]].
  8. "2012 Election Results". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
  9. "2014 Election Results". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
  10. "2016 Election Results". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
  11. "2018 Election Results". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
  12. "2020 Election Results". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
  13. (December 13, 2022). "State of Tennessee General Election Results, November 8, 2022, Results By Office". Secretary of State of Tennessee.
  14. (December 3, 2024). "State of Tennessee General Election Results, November 5, 2024, Results By Office". Secretary of State of Tennessee.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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