Tennessee Republican leaders presented a controversial proposal to redraw the federal congressional electoral map with the goal of dividing the single district a currently controlled by Democrats in the state, a measure that could further strengthen the conservative majority in the november mid-term elections.

The new map would directly affect the Memphis-based district, represented by Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen and considered one of the state's major African-American and progressive strongholds.

The proposal emerges barely a week after the Supreme Court issued a ruling limiting the use of racial criteria in the redist allocation of electoral districts, a decision that has opened the door to new republican offensives in several states in the southern country.

The speaker of the state House of Representatives, Cameron Sexton, defended the project arguing that the redistribution responds to political and non-racial criteria.

“The Supreme Court has made clear that redistricting must be impartial,” Sexton said in a statement. “Tennessee can redraw its maps based on legitimate political priorities while reducing future legal challenges.”

Memphis would be divided into three districts

The Republican plan would fragment the Memphis metropolitan area between three distinct congressional districts, a strategy that critics consider designed to dilute the African-American vote and decrease the Democratic electoral weight.

Currently, Memphis concentrates a large portion of Tennessee's black electorate and represents the political core of District 9. With the new map, urban sectors of the city would be combined with traditionally Republican rural and suburban areas.

Steve Cohen described the proposal as “devastating” and assured that the redesign seeks to minimize the political influence of the African-American community.

“This destroys decades of advances made after years of racial segregation and discrimination,” declared the legislator during protests in Nashville.

Protesters and community leaders also denounced that the proposal breaks with the historical and regional identity of Tennessee, whose three main regions are symbolized in the stars of the state flag.

Kareem Crayton, vice president of the Brennan Center for Justice in Washington, argued that the map “reduces the incentives for any representative to address the real needs of Memphis.”

“An urban community is fragmented to integrate with rural and suburban areas that have completely different interests,” he explained.

The electoral battle intensifies heading to November

The Republican offensive in Tennessee is part of a national strategy driven by Donald Trump to strengthen the conservative majority in the House of Representatives before the midterm elections.

In states such as Texas, North Carolina and Missouri similar modifications have already been promoted to favor Republican candidates, while Democrats have responded with electoral adjustments in California and Virginia.

According to election analysts, at least eight states have approved new maps over the past year, in a political dispute that could redefine federal congressional control over the next decade.

In Tennessee, Republicans are also seeking to modify a state law that currently limits electoral redistribution to once per decade.

Votes on the proposal could be held as soon as this Thursday, taking advantage of the large Republican majorities in both state legislative chambers.

Meanwhile, civil organizations and voting rights groups are already anticipating possible judicial lawsuits if the map is approved, arguing that the redesign would disproportionately affect African-American and urban communities in Memphis.