Kustoff claims victory in race for Tennessee’s redrawn US House District 8

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Incumbent Republican U.S. Representative David Kustoff is declaring himself the winner in the race for Tennessee’s newly redrawn 8th Congressional District.

As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Kustoff leads the race with 51.6% of the vote, while Democratic candidate Heidi Kuhn trails with 46.4%.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. CT. Votes are still being counted.

Click here for LIVE election results for all midterm races.

Back in May, the Republican-controlled Tennessee House and Senate passed a redistricting plan that splits Memphis into three congressional districts. The move drew sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers who accused Republicans of racial gerrymandering.

Congressman Kustoff’s redrawn Memphis-based district now stretches as far north as Gibson County and as far east as Perry County.

Kustoff has held the seat since 2016.

Kuhn, the former Shelby County Criminal Court clerk, recently suffered whiplash and fractures to her face after a crash on I-240 in Memphis back on October 23.

The Kuhn for Congress campaign team confirmed both Kuhn and her husband were involved. Both continue to recover from their injuries and are expected to be okay.

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