President Barack Obama backed Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) for reelection Tuesday, boosting the Democrat’s efforts to repel a primary challenge from a former Memphis mayor who charges the white lawmaker can’t effectively represent his majority-black district.
Cohen’s campaign released a statement from the president calling the second-term Memphis congressman 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,” Obama said in the message. “I am proud to stand with Steve and support his reelection to Congress.”
Cohen’s campaign released a statement from the president calling the second-term Memphis congressman 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,” Obama said in the message. “I am proud to stand with Steve and support his reelection to Congress.”
Cohen also drew financial support from key black Democrats in Congress, including former civil rights movement leader John Lewis of Georgia. Cohen has not yet released his fundraising totals from the last quarter, but spokeswoman Stephanie Young said he received donations from Lewis and Congressional Black Caucus members Alcee Hastings of Florida and Lacy Clay of Missouri.
The Tennessee Democrat, first elected in 2006 after winning a crowded primary, is campaigning for renomination against former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, a longtime local pol who has made race acentral theme of his campaign and has argued that Tennessee lacks diversity in its congressional representation.
“My primary motivation for running for the 9th Congressional District is that I strongly believe that one of the hallmarks of the American democracy is a representative form of democracy,” Herenton recently told POLITICO in an interview. “The current composition of the 11-member Tennessee delegation lacks the appropriate diversity that’s consistent with our values for a representative government.”
Cohen, however, has secured the support of at least a dozen CBC members and is expected to hold a strong financial advantage over Herenton. The congressman ended the first quarter of the year with more than $1.1 million on hand, compared with an $8,400 bank account for Herenton, which included $5,000 of his own money.
Herenton’s campaign did not immediately return POLITICO's request for comment Tuesday, but he addressed Obama's endorsement at a news conference later that day.
"Mr. Obama's got to look hard and long to even know where Memphis, Tenn., is, OK?" Herenton said, according to an AP report. "I'm going to always be respectful to the president," Herenton added. "He doesn't understand the aspirations of people in this community. He made a political decision."
The former mayor went on slam Cohen, saying he had been "trying to act black, trying to bring back the plantation days."
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0710/39666.html
The Tennessee Democrat, first elected in 2006 after winning a crowded primary, is campaigning for renomination against former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, a longtime local pol who has made race acentral theme of his campaign and has argued that Tennessee lacks diversity in its congressional representation.
“My primary motivation for running for the 9th Congressional District is that I strongly believe that one of the hallmarks of the American democracy is a representative form of democracy,” Herenton recently told POLITICO in an interview. “The current composition of the 11-member Tennessee delegation lacks the appropriate diversity that’s consistent with our values for a representative government.”
Cohen, however, has secured the support of at least a dozen CBC members and is expected to hold a strong financial advantage over Herenton. The congressman ended the first quarter of the year with more than $1.1 million on hand, compared with an $8,400 bank account for Herenton, which included $5,000 of his own money.
Herenton’s campaign did not immediately return POLITICO's request for comment Tuesday, but he addressed Obama's endorsement at a news conference later that day.
"Mr. Obama's got to look hard and long to even know where Memphis, Tenn., is, OK?" Herenton said, according to an AP report. "I'm going to always be respectful to the president," Herenton added. "He doesn't understand the aspirations of people in this community. He made a political decision."
The former mayor went on slam Cohen, saying he had been "trying to act black, trying to bring back the plantation days."
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0710/39666.html