Does your state lean blue or lean red? Check out our new report, highlighting partisan control of state government from 1992-2013.
Steve Cohen
| Steve Cohen | ||
| U.S. House, Tennessee, District 9 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2007-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 6 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Harold Ford, Jr. (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 7, 2006 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $3,970,242 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Senator, Tennessee State Senate | ||
| 1982-2006 | ||
| Shelby County Commissioner | ||
| 1978-1980 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Vanderbilt University, 1971 | |
| J.D. | University of Memphis School Of Law, 1973 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | May 24, 1949 | |
| Place of birth | Memphis, TN | |
| Net worth | $3,410,551 | |
| Religion | Jewish | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Steve Cohen (b. May 24, 1949) is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Tennessee, representing the 9th congressional district. Cohen was first elected in 2006. He won re-election in 2012.
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Cohen is a "far-left Democrat".[1]
Career
- 1971: Graduated from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
- 1973: Graduated from Memphis State University
- 1977: Vice-president, Tennessee state constitutional convention
- 1978-1980: Served as Shelby County, Tenn., commissioner
- 1982-2006: Served as a member of the Tennessee state senate
- 2007-Present: U.S Representative from Tennessee
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Cohen serves on the following committees:[2]
- Committee on Judiciary
- Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice
- Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial, and Antitrust Law - Ranking Member
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Aviation
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
2011-2012
- Committee on Judiciary
- Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law
- Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Subcommittee on Aviation
Issues
House Judiciary Committee
Congressman Cohen was first appointed to the House Judiciary Committee shortly after he was sworn into Congress in January of 2007.[3] Cohen is in his second term serving on the committee. The Congressman was elected in 2009 as Chairman on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.[4] Cohen also serves on the House Judiciary Subcommittees on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.[4]
The Congressman also serves on the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment which is responsible for considering impeachment of federal judges.[5]
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Cohen voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[6]
Endorsements
2012
President Barack Obama has endorsed Cohen for re-election in 2012.[7]
Elections
2012
Cohen won the election.[8] Cohen ran for re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Tennessee's 9th District. Cohen defeated Tomeka Hart in the August 2 Democratic primary. He faced George Flinn Jr. (R), Gregory Joiner (I), and Brian Saulsberry (I) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[9]
| U.S. House, Tennessee, District 9 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | 75.1% | 188,422 | ||
| Republican | George Flinn Jr. | 23.8% | 59,742 | |
| Independent | Gregory Joiner | 0.5% | 1,372 | |
| Independent | Brian Saulsberry | 0.6% | 1,448 | |
| Total Votes | 250,984 | |||
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
| U.S. House, Tennessee's 9th Congressional District Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
|
89.3% | 49,585 |
| Tomeka Hart | 10.7% | 5,944 |
| Total Votes | 55,529 | |
2010
On November 2, 2010, Cohen won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Charlotte Bergmann and in the general election.[10]
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Cohen is available dating back to 2006. Based on available campaign finance records, Cohen raised a total of $3,970,242 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 2, 2013.[11]
| Steve Cohen's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | US House (Tennessee, District 9) | $831,885 | ||
| 2010 | US House (Tennessee, District 9) | $1,151,408 | ||
| 2008 | US House (Tennessee, District 9) | $1,238,073 | ||
| 2006 | US House (Tennessee, District 9) | $748,876 | ||
| Grand Total Raised | $3,970,242 | |||
2012
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2012 elections season. Below are Cohen's reports.[12]
| Steve Cohen (2012) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[13] | April 15, 2012 | $934,215.71 | $147,294.10 | $(35,237.98) | $1,046,271.83 | ||||
| July Quarterly[14] | July 15, 2012 | $1,046,271.83 | $80,015.00 | $(185,787.28) | $940,499.55 | ||||
| October Quarterly[15] | October 15, 2012 | $918,141.60 | $139,048.15 | $(151,112.99) | $906,076.76 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $366,357.25 | $(372,138.25) | ||||||||
2010
Cohen won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Cohen's campaign committee raised a total of $1,151,408 and spent $843,236.[16]
His top 5 contributors between 2009-2010 were:
| U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee Congressional District Election, 2010 - Steve Cohen Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,151,408 |
| Total Spent | $843,236 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $217,428 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $217,428 |
| Top contributors to Steve Cohen's campaign committee | |
| FedEx Corp | $18,500 |
| American Assn for Justice | $10,000 |
| American Crystal Sugar | $10,000 |
| Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $10,000 |
| Laborers Union | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $78,981 |
| Health Professionals | $49,800 |
| Real Estate | $48,661 |
| Air Transport | $45,650 |
| Industrial Unions | $43,500 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Cohen missed 140 of 5,229 roll call votes from January 2007 to April 2013. This amounts to 2.7%, which is worse than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[17]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Cohen paid his congressional staff a total of $1,061,645 in 2011. Overall, Tennessee ranks 39th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[18]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Cohen's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $1,737,102 and $5,084,000. That averages to $3,410,551, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2011 of $5,107,874. His average net worth increased by 31.71% from 2010.[19]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Cohen's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $1,344,074 to $3,835,000. That averages to $2,589,537 which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[20]
National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Cohen ranked 53rd in the liberal rankings in 2012.[21]
2011
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Cohen ranked 45th in the liberal rankings.[22]
Percentage voting with party
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Steve Cohen voted with the Democratic Party 93.1% of the time, which ranked 93 among the 192 House Democratic members in December 2011.[23]
Personal
Steve Cohen is single.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Steve + Cohen + Tennessee + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Steve Cohen News Feed
- Tennessee congressman to AG Eric Holder: Free Don Siegelman - al.com (blog)
- House Passes Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Bill; Administration to Release Public ... - Bloomberg BNA
- Steve Cohen Calls Marijuana Prohibition Unjust, Wonders Why Obama Is So ... - Reason (blog)
- Congress May Soon Let Us Bring Dogs on Special Squee Trains - Jezebel
- Congressman Tears Into AG Holder Over Marijuana: 'This Is The Time To ... - ThinkProgress
- Dogs On Amtrak Bill Would Allow Pets On Trains - Huffington Post
- HUFFPOST HILL - Dogs On Trains: Congress Is On It - Huffington Post
- GOP gives Dems nine shots at amending Keystone bill - The Hill (blog)
- Lawmakers Traveling to Russia to Investigate Boston Bombing - ABC News (blog)
- LIVE BLOG: Committee On Oversight & Government Hearing - The Nonprofit Quarterly
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
External links
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Cohen" Accessed May 25, 2012
- ↑ CQ.com, House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress
- ↑ "House Judiciary Committee" 110th Congress Hearings Summary(See Page II)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ House Judiciary Committee "Task Force on Impeachment Members, 111th Congress
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ Memphis Flyer "Cohen gets president's nod as filing deadline comes," April 5, 2012
- ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map, Tennessee"
- ↑ Associated Press primary results
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Steve Cohen," Accessed April 2, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "Steve Cohen's Summary Report," Accessed August 10, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "Steve Cohen April Quarterly," Accessed August 10, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "Steve Cohen July Quarterly," Accessed August 10, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "Steve Cohen October Quarterly," Accessed October 17, 2012
- ↑ Open Secrets "Steve Cohen 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 16, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Cohen," Accessed April 10, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Stephen Ira Cohen," Accessed September 18, 2012
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Cohen (D-Tenn), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Stephen Ira Cohen (D-Tenn), 2010," Accessed September 18, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harold Ford, Jr. |
U.S. House of Representatives - Tennessee District 9 2007–present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||||||||||||