Washington — Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced Friday that he’s dropping his bid for reelection in the state’s ninth congressional district, a seat he’s held since 2007. 

He made the decision in light of the Tennessee legislature’s redistricting, which affected his district in Memphis. Cohen, 76, is Tennessee’s only Democrat in Congress. 

“This is by far the most difficult moment I’ve had as an elected official,” he said as he opened his remarks.

Cohen, a fourth-generation resident of the Memphis area, said he’ll be retiring from public life.

He said he “considered” running in one of the new districts, but said they are “nothing like the ninth district that I’ve represented.” 

“I’ve had the great honor to represent the ninth district for the last 19 and a half years. And it’s been a district that is a majority African-American district,” he said. 

The redistricting vote by the GOP-dominated state legislature last week drew protests for splitting the Memphis population into parts of several different districts that lean more Republican.

In his time in Congress, Cohen has served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, focusing on issues like civil rights and policing reform. 

“The first Jewish person elected to represent Tennessee in the Congress, Steve has been a powerful champion for civil rights, leading passage of a resolution issuing the first formal apology for slavery in the U.S.,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. He noted that Cohen led hearings on the Voting Rights Act, police reform and racial justice, “reaffirming his commitment to making true America’s promise of equality and justice for all.”