Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper won the Democratic primary in Tennessee’s 5th District on Thursday, in a race where he faced his first serious challenge in over 10 years.
A member of the Blue moderate Blue Dog Coalition, who has held his seat since 2003, Cooper was challenged by progressive attorney Keeda Haynes. His win comes during a time where new progressive candidates have continued to successfully unseat veteran moderate Democrats throughout the country.
Haynes, while earning endorsements from progressive groups such as Our Revolution and Democracy for America, was not able to defeat Cooper, who raised nearly 7 times the amount of money as her campaign. Haynes would have been the state’s first African American Woman in Congress.
Cooper did take her challenge serious, spending money on TV and online ads hoping to get his message to as many voters as possible.
Cooper’s other primary challenger was Joshua Rawlings, a small business owner and former Republican who received the least amount of votes.
With the 5th District including left-leaning Nashville, Dickson County, and parts of Cheatham County and no Republican opposition eligible for the Nov. 3 general election, Cooper will almost certainly return to Congress for a 16th term.
