The AM/DM podcast: The future of District 9, plus primary voting

By , Daily Memphian Updated: May 05, 2026 6:48 AM CT | Published: May 05, 2026 6:47 AM CT

Today, May 5, is the Shelby County primary election, in which we’ll be narrowing down candidates for mayor, sheriff and all host of other offices.

In the past week, however, voting has become a very hot topic around the country — especially in Memphis. 

After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana, two Republican candidates for Tennessee governor suggested that Memphis’ 9th district should be redrawn in an attempt to turn the state completely red. 


Special session bid to ‘Flip Memphis’ becomes tip of political iceberg


Pretty quickly, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee called for a special session of the legislature, which also starts today, to vote on redrawing the lines. 

If approved, the new districts would apply to those running in this year’s August state and federal primary elections.

This morning, Daily Memphian political reporter Bill Dries joins us to walk us through the election, the special session and what might happen in the coming days. 

Give it a listen. 

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

 

Topics

AM/DM 2026 Shelby County elections District 9 redistricting special session
Mary Cashiola

Mary Cashiola

Mary Cashiola has been a Memphis journalist for nearly two decades, beginning her career covering city government and local neighborhoods at the Memphis Flyer before being hired by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s administration. 

Before joining The Daily Memphian, she was the managing editor of the Memphis Business Journal, which was named one of the top 10 Best Designed Newspapers in the world by the Society of News Design while she was there. 

She also has a background in advertising, with a focus on higher education and the hospitality industry. 


Comments

Comments have been disabled on this story.