The Commercial Appeal has endorsed Congressman Steve Cohen for a fifth term in Congress.
Excerpt:
He has pushed for federal legislation to help reduce domestic violence, supported raising the minimum wage and pushed for fairer sentencing for African-Americans, who have received disproportionately tougher sentences for some drug-related criminal sentences.
Cohen has urged Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam to expand TennCare, the state’s health insurance for the poor, under ACA guidelines, which would help thousands in the district.
He has helped local officials attract millions of federal dollars to the district for research, job training, education, housing initiatives and transportation projects. His critics argue that some of those dollars would have come anyway. That may be true to some extent, but it certainly does not hurt to have Cohen in Washington supporting those requests.
Of the two candidates, Cohen has demonstrated that he understands the district and its needs. That is why voters should send him back to Washington.