Tennessee Rep Tim Burchett Accuses Democrats of Throwing The Race Card' After Losing Redistricting Battle

"Elections have consequences. Burchett said. When the Democrats do it, it's called redistricting. When we do it, it's called gerrymandering. Burchett continued: They have a very short memory. I spent 16 years in the legislature in Tennessee in Nashville, and in 1992 the Democrats moved 14 districts into seven. You know, we just took it on the chin. It wasn't anything to do with race, and this has absolutely nothing to do with race."

"To to say we are taking Black representation from some folks is very disingenuous. Of the new map, Cohen said, Somebody who drew the map, or told the guy to draw the map 'cause they do it with computers somebody told them, divide the Black vote up into three districts to where they are a minority and don't have enough influence to elect a member of their own choosing. That's a mistake, Cohen added, and the people up there were supposed to be working for the good of the state of Tennessee. They're working for the good of Donald Trump."

"Scott mentioned the recent Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, saying, we can't consider race when deciding, when you're drawing up congressional lines. That's correct and that's all the Democrats have left in their big deck of cards, is the race card, Burchett said. And they divide folks up, and fear in their hearts, and that's exactly what"

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a GOP redistricting law that favors Republicans in all nine districts and restructures the majority-Black Memphis-area district. Democrats sued to block the map, and Rep. Tim Burchett criticized the challenge as sour grapes. Burchett said Democrats previously redrew districts in 1992 and “took it on the chin,” arguing the current map has nothing to do with race. He said Democrats’ claims are disingenuous and pointed to Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen as a white representative. Cohen argued the map divides Black voters into three districts where they cannot elect their preferred candidate. Burchett also responded to a Supreme Court decision limiting consideration of race in line-drawing, saying Democrats rely on the “race card.”

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