Rep. Jim Cooper retires after Tennessee district dismantled

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, a 32-year veteran of Congress, will retire at the end of this year, after Tennessee Republicans shredded his Nashville-based seat into three pieces in redistricting.

He is the 29th House Democrat to leave the chamber to retire or seek higher office during this Congress.

“No one tried harder to keep our city whole,” Cooper wrote in a statement announcing his decision. “I explored every possible way, including lawsuits, to stop the gerrymandering and to win one of the three congressional districts that now divide Nashville. There’s no way, at least for me, in this election cycle.”

Cooper, a conservative Blue Dog Democrat, is part of a storied Tennessee family. His brother is the mayor of Nashville and his father was a governor of the state. He has sometimes gone after his own party, repeatedly voting against Nancy Pelosi as party leader, though he did back her for speaker in 2021, when she faced extremely narrow margins.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/25/rep-jim-cooper-retires-tennessee-00001924

[LogicFirst]

1. Term limits would be better than gerrymandering.

[lostnfound]

4. No it wouldn't. Rightwing corporatists would fund an unending series of empty suits

Rightwing would fund an unending series of empty suits rotating through as nondescript clones. Democrats who build up a fan club big enough to raise money would not be able to leverage that power.

Would not have equal effect.

[Lars39]

2. Damn

[70sEraVet]

3. Jim Cooper had been our Rep for almost all of those 32 years he's been in Congress

Unbelievable that Nashville, a city that has voted Democratic steadfastly for decades, will not be able to elect a Democrat to Congress because of gerrymandering. The nation will pay a BIG price for failing to pass voting rights bills.

[leftieNanner]

6. Is there any challenge to these new districts?

Marc Elias perhaps?

[Historic NY]

5. Do you think Democrats can go and marginalize out some Republicans..

playing Marquis of Queensbury rules gets you nothing in the game of politices.