Progressives target Jim Cooper for primary challenge [View all]

[JoeOtterbein]

Politico

Justice Democrats endorse foe to veteran Tennessee congressman.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN

04/05/2021 07:00 AM EDT

Justice Democrats, the left-wing group that recruited Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for Congress, has its eyes set on ousting another Democratic incumbent.

The organization will announce Monday that it is backing Democrat Odessa Kelly in her campaign against Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper — a Blue Dog Coalition member who has long frustrated liberals. It is the first primary challenge unveiled by Justice Democrats for the 2022 cycle.

“As someone who has spent her life as a public servant and a community organizer, Odessa Kelly is exactly the kind of Democrat we need in Congress,” said Justice Democrats executive director Alexandra Rojas in a statement. “Our grassroots movement has shocked the nation in two cycles and we are prepared to do it again. It’s time to usher in a new generation of progressive leadership into the Democratic Party.”

Cooper has been disliked by progressives for years, including at a time when the left was less muscular than it is today. In 2013, Daily Kos floated the idea of challenging Cooper and ripped him for voting against nearly $51 billion in Hurricane Sandy aid.

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