Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tomeka Hart to Challenge Cohen in 9th District
Urban League head and MSC Board member could be congressman's toughest opponent.
Posted by Jackson Baker on Tue, May 31, 2011 at 3:19 PM
Cohen himself had taken note of the likelihood during an interview earlier this month in Washington. At the time he had not identified his prospective opponent by name, except to say that he expected organized opposition and that his challenger would be a well-known African-American woman.
That definition certainly fits Hart, the executive director of the Memphis Urban League and, with fellow MCS board member Martavius Jones, the leader in last year’s vote to surrender the MCS charter, thereby setting in motion the pending merger of MCS with Shelby County Schools.
“It’s all set,” Cohen said, indicating that his then unnamed opponent would be drawing on sources of support similar to those which had opposed him in his previous congressional races in 2006, 2008, and 2010.
“They’re going to try to revive the idea of a ‘consensus black candidate,'” predicted Cohen, who said that was the tack taken in such campaigns as those of independent Jake Ford in 2006 and Democratic candidates Nikki Tinker and Willie Herenton in 2008 and 2010, respectively. All these challenges fell significantly short, the last two being on the short end of 4 to 1 outcomes.
“It didn’t work then, and it won’t work now,” the congressman said confidently. “My track record is clear, that I have faithfully represented the African-American community, and the results show that the voters know that.”
Hart, a lawyer, was elected to the MCS Board in 2004, defeating longtime incumbent Hubon “Dutch” Sandridge. She served as the Board President from January 2008-June 2009.
Comments (23)
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I've always liked Tomeka, but this has me confused. If you're going to challenge an incumbent from your own party then you must have something they did that you take issue with. Has she ever publicly criticized Cohen? What's the reason she has to fire him? I'm sure not seeing it.
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Although not as ridiculous as a Tinker or Herenton candidacy, there's still no way she can touch Cohen. His record is untouchable, not to mention his massive war chest. Absent any massive gaffes by Cohen between now and next summer, the only possible route Hart's campaign can take would be the despicable race-based variety we saw from the previous two Democratic challengers. As long as Cohen's voting record continues to sync perfectly with the interests of his constituents, he'll have this seat as long as he wants it. I don't know much about Ms. Hart, but she seems far more respectable than Tinker or Herenton -- if she wants to save face she ought to abandon this endeavor.
Ms. Hart has made a serious mistake here. The same guy behind both of Nikki Tinker's campaigns has gotten in her ear and told her she can win this thing, when in fact, she would have been much better off running for a city council or county commission seat and built some experience before shooting this high.
For your own sake, and for your city's sake, quit listening to him. He's got his own ambitions, and after you've been beaten, he'll move on and put that same bug in someone else's ear.
WTF? Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Cohen represents his district better than almost any other Rep (that I can think of, anyway). Why are so many local Dems so desperate to get him out of office?
I had no idea Tomeka was going this way. If I had her ear I'd encourage her to run alongside me for Council where we could actually achieve her objective to "see the proper education and workforce development policies get put in place".
Hey, try to find the silver lining here, folks. She only has to get 22% to dump another shovelful of hot coals on top of Willie Herenton's head.
I'd like to see Brad Watkins in elected office one day. The guy is just fearless.
@ kference,
WHO is this "candidate whisperer?" by name, please name him so we will all be in formed!
I know for a fact that he DOES exist, I've met him. He has NOTHING good up his sleeve. His plan is to pervert Ms. Hart as he did the already perverted Fords and Nikki Tinker.
Tomeka, If you're reading this, get away from that guy, he talks sense and delivers nothing short of a fresh hell to wallow in while he profits. Kick his skinny butt to the curb and move on.
To any neighsayers, Ms. Hart is a formidable candidate. She's very astute, I'm sure she knows about the devil.
What has Steve missed?
Chastizing Mr. Norris for his bill designed to keep racism alive and well in Memphis by protracting the consolidation and depoliticization of Memphis Public Schools. That's what!
If anything, her campaign should serve as a wake up call to Mr. Cohen about that if nothing else.
Scott: is that an announcement? You know it's not official until Jackson reports it, right?
In the upcoming battle of the black women, I'm putting my money in this race on the white guy who, as he tells it, votes like he's a black woman.
I think Ms. Hart is seriously underestimating black voters who've shown an increasing willingness to disregard race as a deciding factor in the voting booth, which may well be because they've seen that just because an elected official shares their skin color doesn't mean s/he's going to have their best interests at heart, the best examples of that being Willie Herenton and Harold Ford, Jr., both of whom sold out their black constituencies.
Brad Watkins has better things to do than run for office. And I mean that unironically.
Here's just one more reason Steve's "da man" (notwithstanding his credentials as a black woman): http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_126/-205… and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/d…
He's sponsoring legislation to protect folks who exercise their First Amendment rights from so-called SLAPP suits, a weapon the well-heeled targets of criticism by the less-well-heeled use to browbeat and intimidate their critics by subjecting them to onerous (and expensive) lawsuits.
This is something even right-wingers should favor, protectors of the Constitution and opponents of lawsuits that they are.
To Steve, I say: you go, girl!
Good catch, Marty. Hadn't seen that. Protection against SLAPP hits close to home.
I've been threatened with SLAPPs twice. Steve is a consumate legislator and anyone who thinks they could do a better job is either biting off a lot to chew.
"either biting off a lot to chew..." You forgot something, Scott, n'est-ce pas?
BTW:I haven't seen the dead-tree edition of the paper yet, but I'm looking forward, with breathless anticipation, to seeing our dearly-departed (at least from the MF comment section) Tommy's rant in the LTE. I'm equally anxious to see your response, once it's posted. Lucky you; you get the last word, at least online.
No one from her camp has even mentioned race - it's everyone else, Cohen and all of these couch commentators. And from what I've seen of her, I imagine she will do her damnedest to float above this tact and topic. She's a stand up lady by any measurement and definitely a stand up Memphian. I encourage a shake up of the status quo. Cohen is doing a good enough job but new energy and fresh legs isn't necessarily a bad thing.
bkbelle73, maybe you're having trouble comprehending what myself and other commenters are suggesting. It's not that she's necessarily throwing her hat into the ring BECAUSE of race. Hell, maybe it has nothing to do with it at all. I hope not.
It's that, as the last two primaries have shown, it's hard to imagine what else it can be about. What is her platform going to be? "Hey, I agree with how Congressman Cohen votes, but I'm just here for some new energy and fresh legs"? If not, then please tell us on what grounds you can possibly fathom her opposing Cohen. I hope it doesn't devolve into a race issue like the Tinker and Herenton campaigns, but that's really the only conceivable grounds upon which she can criticize him. Which is why this decision of hers is ill-conceived and can only turn out poorly for her.
If it's just for "new energy and fresh legs," then she obviously doesn't know how politics works. No one in their right mind challenges a successful and wildly popular incumbent (from their own party!) on those superficial grounds.
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