Ouch. Steve Cohen took 79% of the vote, Nikki Tinker took 19% of the vote. That's a 60 point margin. Here are her endorsers.
During her 2006 campaign, Tinker received multiple endorsements, including the Afro American Police Association, Airline Pilots Association, EMILYs List, Future PAC, Women Under 40 PAC, and the United Steelworkers of America.
That's really embarrassing for EMILY's List, and for Harold Ford. This makes two races in a row where the Ford machine got blown out.
"These incendiary and personal attacks have no place in our politics, and will do nothing to help the good people of Tennessee. It's time to turn the page on a politics driven by negativity and division so that we can come together to lift up our communities and our country."
A little weak from the nominee, but at least he is on record on Tinker's ploy. I think she's going to be handily defeated...
Based on early votes and absentee ballots results, Cohen leads with 80.56 percent of the votes. His main challengers, attorney Nikki Tinker and state Rep. Joe Towns Jr., trail with 17.22 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively.
Ugh, this is disgusting. Tomorrow, on August 7, Tennessee will hold its primaries, and in Tennessee's 9th Congressional district, where Memphis is located, it's gotten ugly. This is the seat that used to belong to Harold Ford, Jr. (D), until he gave it up for a Senate run where the GOP ran that ad with the white woman going, "Harold, call me!" (Harold is black.) Well, when he gave up that seat, it went to fellow Democrat Steve Cohen, who is a white Jew.
What would you say of a politician running for Congress who failed denounce something like this attacking her opponent:
Typical Republican, right? Well, almost. Typical Harold Ford protege, actually. A corporate lawyer after his own heart.
The minister who put it out--who lives well outside the district--works with a group that's in league with the Traditional Values Coalition. And Emily's List is supporting her, more on the basis of her ovaries than her anything else--given her non-existent pro-choice credentials.
In 2006, local blogger David Holt reported: "When asked about abortion, she said the she doesn't support abortion but that the government should stay out of it."
That's an Emily's List candidate nowadays???
In sharp contrast, her incumbent opponent, Rep. Steven Cohen ranks in the TOP 25 according to Progressive Punch.
The attacks are motivated by Cohen's race, his religion, and the fact that he supports hate crime protections for lesbians and gays. His enemies clearly have no place in the Democratic Party. But Emily's List is in bed with them! And Black Agenda Report--in the person of no-nonsense Executive Editor Glen Ford--is all over this, as you'll see on the flip.
And EMILY's List endorses Nikki Tinker, the primary challenger and former Harold Ford campaign manager, who is running against progressive Democrat Steve Cohen. It's a black district, and the Ford machine is quite strong; Tinker is running with the backing of that machine. EMILY's List is supposed to be a progressive organization, but it's moves like this that are quite confusing. The mandate of the group is to support only pro-choice women, and it has a history of backing people like Mary Landrieu, that then throw choice under the bus. So what does Nikki Tinker think about choice?
When asked about abortion, she said the she doesn't support abortion but that the government should stay out of it.
That's some rousing support for the complicated and difficult situation that lots of women find themselves in - they are promiscuous, but hey, the government shouldn't stop them from getting an abortion if they really want one. And marriage equality?
She also had an honest line with gay marriage. She basically apologized for her position. She said she's struggled with the issue, that the way she was raised she can't support gay marriage but she's not saying she's right about that and that she wouldn't support the amendment.
That's more rousing leadership. And EMILY's List highlights Tinker's work on 'civil rights' cases in its press release announcing the endorsement. Steve Cohen is a good progressive representative. I like primary challenges in general, and he'll probably always face one considering the dynamics of the district. The question is where progressive organizations put their resources, and this is a cold decision by EMILY's List to push out a progressive with a 100% pro-choice record in favor of a questionable corporate backed politician that learned from Harold Ford Jr, hardly a strong supporter of choice.
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