Congressman survives race-focused TN primary

[The Northerner]

The former longtime mayor of Memphis, who unabashedly campaigned for voters to send him to Congress because he is black, was overwhelmingly defeated by the white incumbent in Thursday's Democratic primary.

And in the country's most expensive U.S. House race, farmer and gospel performer Steve Fincher won the GOP primary.

Willie Herenton, Memphis' first black elected mayor, pushed the race angle throughout his campaign for the 9th District, saying he's more representative of majority-black Memphis than U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who is white and Jewish. Herenton had said he wanted to diversify Tennessee's all-white, 11-member congressional delegation.

But with 78 percent of precincts reporting, Cohen had 54,897 votes, or 79 percent, to Herenton's 14,254 or 21 percent.

Cohen said his victory sends a message that "Memphis is a city on the move and not a city of the past."

Read more: http://www.salon.com/wires/allwires/08/05/D9HDNN980_us_tenn_congress/index.html

[ixion]

1. Running on race is just as bad as not voting for someone because of race

IMO..

[socialist_n_TN]

2. Cohen is actually MUCH more leftist than Herenton

Cohen is the MOST left of ALL of TN. House members. All Herenton had was race and it obviously wasn't enough.

[SharonAnn]

3. Maybe they remembered the campaign pictures/video of Herendon with Bush