Rep. Cohen Wins Racially Charged Tennessee Primary Battle

August 8, 2008 8:09 a.m. EST

Nashville, TN (AHN) - Freshman Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) won by a landslide in Thursday's Democratic primary election. Cohen won after a highly contentious and racially charged battle with African-American lawyer Nikki Tinker.

Unofficial results had Cohen leading 79-19 percent, proving that his rival's controversial TV ad linking him to the Ku Klux Klan had not fooled voters.

Fliers asking, "Why do Steve Cohen and the Jews Hate Jesus?" written by a controversial African-American minister who supported Tinker, were distributed in Memphis during the race.

Cohen, who is Jewish, is favored to win the general election against independent candidate Jake Ford. He is the first white U.S. congressman in Tennessee to represent a predominantly black district. Cohen recently sponsored a House bill "apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans." The bill passed last week.

Voters were apparently not bothered by reports that Cohen had assaulted a filmmaker a day before the primary. The filmmaker, Peter Musurlian, allegedly attempted to enter the lawmaker's Memphis home. Cohen says Musurlian has inaccurately reported his opposition to a House bill condemning Turkey's treatment of Armenia during World War II as "genocide."

Tinker argued that an African-American should represent the district, which has 60 percent black voters and only 35 percent whites. Her campaign, however, earned the ire of even early supporters, including EMILY'S List.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) had also repudiated the "incendiary attacks" during the contest, and asked Democrats in the district to unite.