Jim Cooper has represented Tennesseans in Congress for 32 years. For the last 20, that’s been as the representative for the 5th Congressional District, which encompasses Nashville.
But this will be Cooper’s last year in Washington. He announced last month that he would not seek re-election. New congressional maps drawn by Tennessee Republicans that split Nashville into three, conservative-leaning districts left him little choice.
On Wednesday, Cooper shared his thoughts with WPLN’s Blaise Gainey about who’s to blame for what he calls the city’s “dismemberment,” as well as why he’s not planning to throw his support behind another Democrat.
Below are excerpts from that interview.
Blaise Gainey: Congressman Cooper, thanks for joining us.
Jim Cooper: Thank you. Good to be with you guys.
Blaise Gainey: Nice to be with you, too. So some of your constituents think you still had a chance to win in November? Why did you decide against running again?
Jim Cooper: Well, I know how politics works. I’ve run probably more than any living politician. And when they stack the deck against you, you’re wasting your time. Now, that’s not to say that a new, fresher face might be able to do it on the Democratic Party side. But these are all heavily Republican districts. They didn’t draw up these maps for a Democrat to win them, and they were aiming and they hit the target.
Blaise Gainey: And despite the new maps, that puts you at a disadvantage. Were there any other factors?
Jim Cooper: No, I’m healthier, happier than I’ve ever been. You know, I’m a very fortunate person to have been so popular with Tennessee voters for so long. I’m especially fond of Nashville voters. This is a blessed community here. It’s an amazing place, and there’s a special magic here that I hope we don’t lose. I’m worried that with the growth and development and also with politically tearing Nashville apart, we could lose that special magic.
Blaise Gainey: And you recently said it’d be better for someone that isn’t related to the mayor to run. Do you think the Cooper name hurts you more than it helps?
Jim Cooper: Well, so far it’s been an advantage, but I think everybody likes change of pace, new blood, fresh face. There are other Jim Cooper’s out there because I survived redistricting twice before when the legislature didn’t know who I was or where I was. So there are people out there who are eminently qualified to run who would do a great job. I just hope they throw their hat in the ring.
Blaise Gainey: In a recent interview with the Nashville Scene, you suggested that certain people in Nashville could have changed the minds of legislators drawing the maps. Who exactly were you referring to?
Jim Cooper: Well, we know that Tipton County was able to change the map at the last minute, and that’s a little county outside of Memphis. How were they able to change the legislature? My guess is that they got the Chamber of Commerce involved. And did the Nashville Chamber of Commerce speak up for Nashville in this redistricting. Nope, not a peep.
We warned them three years ago, this is going to be a problem for Nashville, and they did absolutely nothing. There are also a number of very powerful individuals in Nashville, you know, rich business people because those are the folks primarily that the legislature listens to. You know, they’re not Democrats, they’re for Republicans. And did any of those folks really line up to stand up for Nashville? Not a one that I can tell.
So this was an open secret. I’ve been warning people personally for a year. I’ve gone to most of the big businesses. I’ve gone to the chamber. I have begged them to keep Nashville whole.
Blaise Gainey: Now I also have to ask in the same interview, you said Republicans were “ghettoizing” the state Democratic Party. What do you mean by that?
Jim Cooper: Well, with only one likely Democratic officeholder in the entire state of Tennessee above the local level, that means they’re pushing anybody who wants a Democratic future to go live in Memphis. Memphis is a wonderful city, but it’s also in a corner of the state. That’s a long way from Nashville. It’s a long way from Knoxville. It’s a long way from Chattanooga. It’s even longer from the Tri-Cities and Upper East Tennessee. That’s not really a fair chance for Tennesseans who want a Democratic voice who want a Democratic future, to be isolated and segregated over in one corner of the state, and hardly any of them even lifted a finger.
Blaise Gainey: What could Tennessee Democrats do to revitalize the party?
Jim Cooper: You know, most of politics is really not that hard. You got to be popular. People have to trust you. People have to like you and not tell people, you know, the general elections in November, but take off your Halloween costume before the general election. I know some Democrats who enjoy scaring people, and that’s not a good way to get elected.
You know, we have to have their trust, and that’s one reason I’ve given my phone number to virtually everybody in our area. So if they have a need, they can call me because I work for them. I’m not their boss. I am their servant.
Blaise Gainey: You know, I know Odessa Kelly is believed to still be running, and she would have been your opponent if they hadn’t redrawn the districts. Are you looking at her or has she reached out to you to maybe get your words of confidence that you’d support her?
Jim Cooper: To my knowledge, she’s not reached out at all. In fact, she’s not said anything complimentary in the last year. I don’t even know what district she’s thinking about running and if she’s still thinking about running because. If you look at her financial reports, I think she spent virtually all the money she raised, so you have to ask yourself if she’s even a candidate for anything
Blaise Gainey: Touching on that. You talked about there being a lot of money out there. Is there any candidate that or any person that you’ve been priming to say, “Hey, you could take my spot in the future if you make the right choices?”
Jim Cooper: No, you don’t understand. I’m not a kingmaker. I was not elected to be a kingmaker. There are many wonderful, talented people in Tennessee who could do a great job with this.
Blaise Gainey: Gotcha. And what do you think you will actually be remembered for? Because sometimes that’s a lot different than what people want to be remembered for.
Jim Cooper: They’ll probably think of me as a bald guy with thick glasses, but you know, what matters is that I took my job seriously. I really appreciate listening to every person — listen way more than I talk.
Oh, I’m pretty smart as usually able to figure out a lot of ways to fix problems. And I love fixing problems, because that’s the job of good government is to try to make problems go away.
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