Key Takeaways
- • Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) is not seeking reelection, ending a career of nearly fifty years in public office, according to FOX13 Memphis.
- • Tennessee's Republican-majority legislature redrew congressional districts in May, dismantling the state's only majority-Black congressional district and extending Cohen's former Ninth District more than 200 miles from Memphis to Middle Tennessee.
- • Cohen said he was told to vacate his Memphis office by December 9 and that his staff is winding down existing casework.
- • Cohen cited his work on the Tennessee state lottery, the Affordable Care Act, and a $400 million federal grant for the new I-55 Mississippi River bridge as his key achievements.
- • Cohen said he may write a book and is uncertain about his next step.
Summary
Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat, will leave public office after nearly fifty years of service, according to FOX13 Memphis. For the first time in that span, Cohen is not running for office. He has represented Tennessee's Ninth Congressional District for almost twenty years. The change followed redistricting: the majority-Republican Tennessee legislature redrew congressional maps in May, dismantling the state's only majority-Black congressional district. The former district now stretches from Memphis to the Nashville suburbs, more than 200 miles in total, and includes fifteen new counties.
Cohen told FOX13 that he did not want to campaign across those new counties or advocate for them, saying his focus had been Memphis. He described the redistricting as having "taken my heart and soul away from me." According to the report, his Memphis office has been cleared, with staff told to be out by December 9 and to wrap up pending cases.
Cohen's career began in the Tennessee Senate, where he served twenty-four years and advanced legislation that led to the creation of the state lottery. That program helps fund the Hope scholarship and Tennessee Promise, which the article says support 169,000 Tennessee students each year. In Congress, Cohen was elected ten times in what was the predominantly Black Ninth District. He authored the first "Congressional Apology for Slavery and Jim Crow Segregation" in 2008 and helped pass the Affordable Care Act.
Cohen also pointed to his work with then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to secure Tennessee's largest-ever federal infrastructure grant, reported as $400 million, for the new I-55 bridge over the Mississippi River. He said he hopes to be around to see it open. On crime, he said Memphis remains first in the nation and that he has mixed views on the Memphis Safe Task Force.
Cohen described his biggest regret as a 2019 hearing stunt involving a bucket of fried chicken aimed at then-Attorney General Bill Barr, which he said he regretted for the optics of eating during a hearing. Asked about his next steps, Cohen said he did not know yet and suggested he may write a book.
Cohen told FOX13 that he did not want to campaign across those new counties or advocate for them, saying his focus had been Memphis. He described the redistricting as having "taken my heart and soul away from me." According to the report, his Memphis office has been cleared, with staff told to be out by December 9 and to wrap up pending cases.
Cohen's career began in the Tennessee Senate, where he served twenty-four years and advanced legislation that led to the creation of the state lottery. That program helps fund the Hope scholarship and Tennessee Promise, which the article says support 169,000 Tennessee students each year. In Congress, Cohen was elected ten times in what was the predominantly Black Ninth District. He authored the first "Congressional Apology for Slavery and Jim Crow Segregation" in 2008 and helped pass the Affordable Care Act.
Cohen also pointed to his work with then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to secure Tennessee's largest-ever federal infrastructure grant, reported as $400 million, for the new I-55 bridge over the Mississippi River. He said he hopes to be around to see it open. On crime, he said Memphis remains first in the nation and that he has mixed views on the Memphis Safe Task Force.
Cohen described his biggest regret as a 2019 hearing stunt involving a bucket of fried chicken aimed at then-Attorney General Bill Barr, which he said he regretted for the optics of eating during a hearing. Asked about his next steps, Cohen said he did not know yet and suggested he may write a book.
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