In 1994 the Tennessee Republican Party won a big victory. The Republicans elected a governor, Don Sundquist, two senators, Fred Thompson and Bill Frist, and took a 5-4 majority in the House delegation. But amidst all these victories the Democrats retained control of the state House of Representatives and would continue that control until 2008. They were able to do that because in 1992 they redrew House districts and put 12 Republican House members in six districts, thus automatically removing six incumbent Republicans in the House. Had those six incumbents still been in office in 1994 the Republicans would have won control.
Imagine how the history of Tennessee would have changed over the following 14 years. Sundquist would have likely had a Republican majority during his tenure and he wouldn’t have even attempted to enact a state income tax. (In 2002 the attempt to pass the state income tax, which had to have Republican votes, led to a status quo redistricting, protecting incumbents rather than trying to increase the Democratic majority.)
But that’s history. The Republicans are in control now and they are redrawing House district lines following the 2010 census and they are attempting to secure a filibuster proof majority. I don’t recall a lot of outrage in 1992 about the redistricting. Most observers shrugged it off as the expected result of total Democratic control by a party being led by the master politician Gov. Ned McWherter.
Full Article: Tennessee Redistricting May Run Afoul of the Voting Rights Act » Metro Pulse.