Another former aide to U.S. Representative Steve Cohen has decided to seek his ex-employer’s seat. Like state Representative Justin J. Pearson, pastor-activist Devante Hill served the current Congressman at some point as an intern.
Unlike the case with Pearson, whom Cohen has frequently chided for misleading claims, Cohen has fond thoughts and memories of Hill, recalling the new challenger as “idealistic” and “talented” and seeing him as “quite capable of offering leadership.”
Says Cohen: “He really delighted in being involved with public affairs and with members of the government, some of whom he mentioned in his opening statement.”
(Those would be, besides himself, three now-deceased members of Congress — John Lewis, Elijah Cummings, and Sheila Jackson Lee.)
In a statement labeled “An Open Letter to Congressman Stephen Cohen,” Hill expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to work in such undertakings as “the Flint water crisis, the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, and initiatives that demanded both moral clarity and legislative seriousness.”
Says Hill in the “Open Letter,” “Ten years ago today, I walked out of your congressional office carrying far more than the conclusion of an internship. I walked out carrying vision, conviction, and a deep gratitide for the exposure you afforded a young man who was still discovering the breadth of his calling. I knew then quietly, unmistakably that I was meant to serve in this capacity one day.”
A few paragraphs later, Hill makes this pitch — “I want you to hear this clearly: I would be profoundly grateful for your support and your endorsement. But more than that, I am committed to earning your confidence the same way you have sought to earn the trust of every constitueny — through work, through presence, and through results.”
Hill is unlikely to extract such a favor, inasmuch as the Congressman seems firmly committed to his race for re-election. But Cohen is clearly pleased with Hill’s deferential and flattering rhetoric about himself. And he is also attuned to the fact that two challengers in the field likely means some vote-splitting between them.
“They’re both young, both very oratorical, and both of them make an appeal to a newer generation,” says Cohen, lumping Hill in with the somewhat better-known Pearson.
As an activist, Hill has achieved a fair amount of notice over the years, notably for his participation in the bridge protests of 2016 and in demonstrations on behalf of Black Lives Matter in the wake of the George Floyd killing in 2020.
And what does Justin Pearson think of this entry of a rival to his role of congressional challenger?
Pearson issued this statement: “I welcome anyone to the race who is sincere about serving the people and earning the privilege of serving this district by moving the needle on poverty, increasing healthcare access, and ending gun violence, among other challenges we face in District 9.”
All things considered, a pretty game thing to say.
And now this new game is on.