By J. Holly McCall | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, Lookout readers:
Much has been made of the recent redistricting that carved up Tennessee’s congressional districts just three months before the August 6 primary: we’ve written about the bitter partisan feuds that erupted during a special legislative session, concerns about the dilution of Black voting power in Memphis and the ensuing lawsuits.
But outside the Capitol and the courthouses, what is the 9th District and who are the people living in it?
Adam Friedman drove the district last week, traversing the 250 miles through suburban Nashville and wealthy Williamson County, through bucolic Middle Tennessee and rural West Tennessee to the edge of Memphis, talking to voters about their opinion of redistricting and the issues that concern them.
It’s the first of two stories from Friedman on the new 9th, with the second examining the field of candidates jockeying on both sides of the aisle for the chance to move the November general election.
In other news:
Nashville installs voter registration kiosks. The deadline to register to vote in the August 6 primary was Tuesday, but folks wanting to register to vote in the November general election have a new option in Nashville. The Davidson County Election Commission has installed a self-serve registration kiosk outside the Davidson County Clerk’s office in the Howard School Office Building.
Ad watch: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, has released an ad showing her crushing fortune cookies and talking about how she will “crack down” on China, while a voiceover says she will hunt down Communists. It’s reminiscent of an ad during her 2024 Senate reelection campaign in which she smashed china plates.
THE LOOKOUT’S TOP STORY
Tennessee’s new 9th Congressional District 9 starts in Nolensville and runs through rural towns like Pulaski ending at the Memphis International Airport. (Photo: Adam Friedman/Tennessee Lookout)
by Adam Friedman
Tennessee’s newly-drawn 9th Congressional District is an L-shaped gerrymander, stretching from the well-heeled suburbs of Memphis through rural West and Middle Tennessee to affluent Williamson County. We talked to voters across the district to get their take on the district and their concerns as the midterm elections approach.
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FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
Metro Nashville continues its fight against a state-appointed Nashville Airport Authority as a lawsuit against the state remains in play. (Photo: John Partipilo)
by Sam Stockard
Metro Nashville is dueling with a new state-appointed airport board over who has control under a recent state law, after the new board voted Monday to withdraw the Metro Nashville Airport Authority from a lawsuit filed by Metro Nashville and its Metro-appointed board last month to stop a state takeover, according to court documents.
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
The former Somerville Elementary School in Fayette County caught fire on July 4, 2026. The Fayette County Fire Department is monitoring and dousing the rubble to contain any potential asbestos. (Photo: Fayette County Emergency Management Agency)
by Cassandra Stephenson
The Fayette County Fire Department is keeping continuous watch on the smoldering remains of the former Somerville Elementary School in an effort to contain any disturbed asbestos that may be present at the site.
ICYMI
Census data model: Nearly 50K Tennessee households may not have access to air conditioning | Cassandra Stephenson
Outpouring of grief as longtime Tennessee lawmaker Jim Tracy dies | J. Holly McCall
COMMENTARY
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