Tennessee's 9th congressional district

Tennessee's 9th congressional district
Tennessee's 9th congressional district
	Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative
	Steve Cohen; D–Memphis
Distribution	98.54% urban; 1.46% rural;
Population (2022)	756,975
Median household; income	$53,183
Ethnicity	60.2% Black; 25.2% White; 9.2% Hispanic; 2.8% Two or more races; 2.0% Asian; 0.6% other;
Cook PVI	D+22

Tennessee's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in West Tennessee. 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+22, it is the only Democratic district in Tennessee.^[4] Since 1875, the area has sent mostly Democrats to Congress with the exception of a brief period from 1967 to 1974 when it was represented by Republican Dan Kuykendall.

Current boundaries

Beginning in 2023, the district covers most of Shelby County, where the city of Memphis is located. It also includes just under half of Tipton County.

It begins north on the border with Lauderdale County and encompasses part of Covington. It then travels south to the district's anchor city of Memphis. Nearly all of Memphis is in the 9th, although most of the city's eastern portion spills over into the 8th. The district then juts out east to grab Cordova, but mostly avoids Bartlett and Germantown. The district is bounded on the west and south by Arkansas and Mississippi respectively.

Election results from statewide races

Results under old lines (2013–2023)

Year	Office	Result
2000	President	Al Gore 63% - George W. Bush 36%
2004	President	John Kerry 70% - George W. Bush 30%
2008	President	Barack Obama 77% - John McCain 22.5%
2012	President	Barack Obama 78.4% - Mitt Romney 21%
2016	President	Hillary Clinton 77.5% - Donald Trump 19.8%
2020	President	Joe Biden 78.5% - Donald Trump 19.9%

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. The Democrats consolidated their hold on the seat when the 1980 census saw it become the 9th once again. Since then, it has been drawn as a black-majority district.

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.^[5] Cohen is noted for being Tennessee's first Jewish congressman, and has been elected seven times for a little over fourteen years in Congress.

List of members representing the district

Name	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history
District established March 4, 1823
Adam R. Alexander (Jackson)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th 19th	Elected in 1823. Re-elected in 1825. Lost re-election.
Adam R. Alexander (Jackson)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827	18th 19th	Elected in 1823. Re-elected in 1825. Lost re-election.
Davy Crockett (Crockett)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1829	20th 21st	Elected in 1827. Re-elected in 1829. Lost re-election.
Davy Crockett (Crockett)	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831	20th 21st	Elected in 1827. Re-elected in 1829. Lost re-election.
William Fitzgerald (Dresden)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833	22nd	Elected in 1831. Redistricted to the 12th district and lost re-election.
James K. Polk (Columbia)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837	23rd 24th 25th	Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1833. Re-elected in 1835. Re-elected in 1837. Retired to run for Governor of Tennessee.
James K. Polk (Columbia)	Democratic	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839	23rd 24th 25th
Harvey M. Watterson (Shelbyville)	Democratic	March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843	26th 27th	Elected in 1839. Re-elected in 1841. Retired.
Cave Johnson (Clarksville)	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	28th	Redistricted from the 11th district and re-elected in 1843. Retired.
Lucien B. Chase (Clarksville)	Democratic	March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849	29th 30th	Elected in 1845. Re-elected in 1847. Retired.
Isham G. Harris (Paris)	Democratic	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853	31st 32nd	Elected in 1849. Re-elected in 1851. Retired.
Emerson Etheridge (Dresden)	Whig	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd 34th	Elected in 1853. Re-elected in 1855. Lost re-election.
Emerson Etheridge (Dresden)	Know Nothing	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	33rd 34th	Elected in 1853. Re-elected in 1855. Lost re-election.
John D. C. Atkins (Paris)	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859	35th	Elected in 1857. Lost re-election.
Emerson Etheridge (Dresden)	Opposition	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861	36th	Elected in 1859. Retired after West Tennessee seceded.
District inactive		March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863	37th	Civil War
District dissolved March 4, 1863
District re-established March 4, 1873
Barbour Lewis (Memphis)	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected in 1872. Redistricted to the 10th district and lost re-election.
William P. Caldwell (Gardner)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879	44th 45th	Elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Retired.
Charles B. Simonton (Covington)	Democratic	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883	46th 47th	Elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Retired.
Rice A. Pierce (Union City)	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Elected in 1882. Lost renomination.
Presley T. Glass (Ripley)	Democratic	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889	49th 50th	Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Lost renomination.
Rice A. Pierce (Union City)	Democratic	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893	51st 52nd	Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Lost re-election as an Independent Democrat.
James C. McDearmon (Trenton)	Democratic	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1897	53rd 54th	Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Lost renomination.
Rice A. Pierce (Union City)	Democratic	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1905	55th 56th 57th 58th	Elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Lost renomination.
Finis J. Garrett (Dresden)	Democratic	March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1929	59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th	Elected 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.
Jere Cooper (Dyersburg)	Democratic	March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933	71st 72nd	Elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Redistricted to the 8th district.
E.H. Crump (Memphis)	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	73rd	Redistricted from the 10th district and re-elected in 1932. Retired.
Clift Chandler (Memphis)	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – January 2, 1940	74th 75th 76th	Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Resigned when elected Mayor of Memphis.
Vacant		January 2, 1940 – February 15, 1940	76th
Clifford Davis (Memphis)	Democratic	February 15, 1940 – January 3, 1943	76th 77th	Elected to finish Chandler's term. Re-elected in 1940. Redistricted to the 10th district.
Jere Cooper (Dyersburg)	Democratic	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953	78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd	Redistricted from the 8th district and re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Redistricted to the 8th district.
Clifford Davis (Memphis)	Democratic	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1965	83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th	Redistricted from the 10th district 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.
George Grider (Memphis)	Democratic	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967	89th	Elected in 1964. Lost re-election.
Dan Kuykendall (Memphis)	Republican	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973	90th 91st 92nd	Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Redistricted to the 8th district.
District dissolved January 3, 1973
District re-established January 3, 1983
Harold Ford Sr. (Memphis)	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1997	98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th	Redistricted from the 8th district 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.
Harold Ford Jr. (Memphis)	Democratic	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2007	105th 106th 107th 108th 109th	Elected 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.
Steve Cohen (Memphis)	Democratic	January 3, 2007 – present	110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	Elected 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.

Recent election results

2012

2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (Incumbent)	188,422	75.1%
	Republican	George S. Flinn, Jr.	59,742	23.8%
	Independent	Brian L. Saulsberry	1,448	0.6%
	Independent	Gregory M. Joiner	1,372	0.5%
Total votes			250,987	100%
	Democratic hold

2014

2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (Incumbent)	87,376	75%
	Republican	Charlotte Bergmann	27,173	23.3%
	Independent	Floyd Wayne Alberson	766	0.7%
	Independent	Paul Cook	752	0.6%
	Independent	Herbert Bass	483	0.4%
Total votes			116,550	100%
	Democratic hold

2016

2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (Incumbent)	171,631	79%
	Republican	Wayne Alberson	41,123	18.9%
	Independent	Paul Cook	5,203	2.4%
Total votes			217,957	100%
	Democratic hold

2018

2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (Incumbent)	145,139	80%
	Republican	Charlotte Bergmann	34,901	19.2%
	Independent	Leo AwGoWhat	1,436	0.8%
Total votes			181,476	100%
	Democratic hold

2020

2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (Incumbent)	187,905	77.4%
	Republican	Charlotte Bergmann	48,818	20.1%
	Independent	Dennis Clark	3,962	1.6%
	Independent	Bobby Lyons	2,192	0.9%
Total votes			242,880	100%
	Democratic hold

2022

2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (incumbent)	93,800	70.0%
	Republican	Charlotte Bergmann	35,123	26.2%
	Independent	George Flinn	3,349	2.5%
	Independent	Dennis Clark	1,160	0.8%
	Independent	Paul Cook	485	0.3%
	Write-in	Bobby Lyons	1	0.0%
Total votes			133,918	100%
	Democratic hold

Historical district boundaries

References

^ "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov. US Census Bureau Geography.
^ "My Congressional District". www.census.gov. Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau.
^ "My Congressional District".
^ ^a ^b "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
^ "U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES / TENNESSEE 09". America Votes 2006. CNN.
^ "2012 Election Results" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
^ "2014 Election Results" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
^ "2016 Election Results" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
^ "2018 Election Results" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
^ "2020 Election Results" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 23, 2022.

Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present