Townhall - Tipsheet - Madeline Leesman
Retiring Democratic Rep Says His Party Is ‘Facing Extinction’
Madeline Leesman | @madelineleesman | Posted: Feb 10, 2022 3:30 PM
Retiring Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, who has represented Tennessee’s fifth congressional district since 2003, said in an interview this week that his party is “facing extinction” in his state.
Cooper made the remarks in an interview with Nashville Scene published on Tuesday. Cooper, who served in Congress for a total of 32 years, previously represented Tennessee’s fourth congressional district from 1938 to 1995. As I covered last month, Cooper announced he would not seek reelection this year following a redistricting process that he claimed “dismember[ed]” Nashville, the state’s capital.
“We’ve [Nashville] been crippled politically,” Cooper told the Nashville Scene. “I was alert to the danger. I tried to warn everyone I could. Very few people wanted to listen, and now the worst has happened. I feel terrible for the city, and I hope I’m wrong.”
“The Democratic Party in Tennessee is basically facing extinction,” he added. “We’ve been on a long downhill slide for a long time.”
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