The Tennessee primary tonight will again test the electability of Rep. Steve Cohen in a Democratic primary, with the liberal Congressman seeking his third term as the white representative of a majority-black district. And headed into today’s vote, all signs point to him easily passing that test.
Cohen is being challenged in the primary by former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton. Cohen is heavily favored to win, and has far outdistanced Herenton in fundraising. FEC records show that through July 16, Cohen had raised $898,832, spent $487,412 and had $892,102 on hand (including extra cash rolled over from the previous cycle). By contrast, Herenton raised only $42,750, spent $17,326, and had $25,422 on hand. Indeed, Cohen has even received a donation from the Congressional Black Caucus’s PAC, a caucus that he has unsuccessfully attempted to join in the past. And one poll has predicted a landslide win for Cohen.
Herenton has made his campaign centrally about race, arguing that Tennessee’s currently all-white Congressional delegation should have a black member from this majority African-American district. “I believe that it is very clear to the majority of the citizens of this community that we lack representation. And all we are seeking is just one, well-qualified, African-American to serve in an 11-member Tennessee delegation that is currently all white,” Herenton has said. Herenton has also accused Cohen of “trying to act black,” and has implored voters to “come off that Cohen plantation and get on the Herenton freedom train.”
Three weeks ago, Cohen was officially endorsed by President Obama: “Congressman Cohen is a proven leader in the United States Congress and a strong voice for Tennessee. Together, we passed historic health care reform and together we’re continuing the fight to renew our economy and bring jobs back to the American people. I am proud to stand with Steve and support his re-election to Congress.”
The district is 59% black and 35% white. It voted 77%-23% for Barack Obama in 2008, and before that it voted 70%-29% for John Kerry in 2004.
Back in 2006, in the open-seat race to succeed Harold Ford, Cohen won a multi-candidate primary with a plurality of only 31%. In the general election, he then faced not only a Republican but also independent Jake Ford, a younger brother of Harold Ford, who also made race a key issue. The result, however, was a whopping 60% for Cohen, only 22% for Ford, and 18% for Republican Mark White.
Then in 2008, Cohen faced an especially nasty challenge in the Democratic primary from attorney Nikki Tinker, who had previously run in the 2006 primary and come in second place with 25% of the vote. Tinker ran an ad that attacked Cohen, who is Jewish, for campaigning in “our churches.” The result was a landslide win for Cohen, by a margin of 79%-19%.
The polls will close at 8 p.m. ET.
