Tennessee's 5th Congressional District elections, 2014
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November 4, 2014 |
August 7, 2014 |
Jim Cooper  |
Jim Cooper |
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Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] |
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The 5th Congressional District of Tennessee held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Bob Ries defeated Chris Carter, John Smith and Ronnie Holden in the Republican primary on August 7, 2014.[3] Incumbent Jim Cooper, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, defeated Ries and independent Paul Deakin in the general election.
Although most of Tennessee votes Republican, Bruce Oppenheimer, a professor at Vanderbilt University, explained that the Cooper's district, which includes Nashville, and the 9th District, which includes Memphis, "are unlike the other seven House districts in their partisan composition. They're more urban, more minority and more Democratic."[4] The race was rated a "Safe Democrat" contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.[5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Tennessee utilizes a closed primary process; a voter must either be registered with a political party or must declare his or affiliation with the party at the polls on primary election day in order to vote in that party's primary.[6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by July 8, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.[7]
- See also: Tennessee elections, 2014
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Jim Cooper (D), who was first elected in 2002.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, Tennessee's 5th Congressional District was located in the central portion of the state and included Davidson and Dickson counties and a part of Cheatham County.[8]
Candidates
General election candidates
- Jim Cooper - Incumbent
[9] 
Bob Ries
Paul Deakin[9]
August 7, 2014, Republican Primary
Removed from ballot
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Jim Cooper Incumbent |
62.3% | 95,635 | |
| Republican | Bob Ries | 35.8% | 54,939 | |
| Independent | Paul Deakin | 2% | 3,032 | |
| Total Votes | 153,606 | |||
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State | ||||
Republican primary
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bob Ries |
37.8% | 11,384 | ||
| Chris Carter | 29.8% | 8,975 | ||
| John Smith | 17.6% | 5,306 | ||
| Ronnie Holden | 14.7% | 4,419 | ||
| Total Votes | 30,084 | |||
| Source: Results via Associated Press |
||||
Key votes
Below are important votes that Cooper cast during the 113th Congress.
National security
NDAA
Cooper voted in opposition of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[11]
DHS Appropriations
Cooper voted in opposition of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[11]
Keystone Pipeline Amendment
Cooper voted in opposition of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[11]
CISPA (2013)
Cooper voted in support of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[12] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[11]
Economy
2014 Farm bill
On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, known as the Farm Bill.[13] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill provides for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[14][15] However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[15] Cooper voted with 102 other Democratic representatives against the bill.
2014 Budget
On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[16][17] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[17] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[18] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the protection of the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Cooper joined with the majority of the Democratic party and voted in favor of the bill.[16][17]
2013 Farm bill
- See also: United States Farm Bill 2013
Cooper voted against the Farm Bill on July 11, 2013. The bill passed in a 216-208 vote.[19] The bill passed included farm policy, but did not include food stamps.[20]
Government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[21] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[22] Cooper voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[23]
The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[24] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Cooper voted for HR 2775.[25]
Immigration
Morton Memos Prohibition
Cooper voted against House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status.[26] The vote largely followed party lines.[27]
Healthcare
Repealing Obamacare
Cooper has voted against all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[28]
Campaign contributions
Jim Cooper
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Cooper's reports.[29]
| Jim Cooper (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[30] | April 11, 2013 | $693,328.32 | $18,955.50 | $(37,821.19) | $674,462.63 | ||||
| July Quarterly[31] | July 19, 2013 | $674,462.63 | $259,514.21 | $(43,186.56) | $890,790.28 | ||||
| October Quarterly[32] | October 15, 2013 | $891,790.28 | $57,775.29 | $(38,803.26) | $910,762.31 | ||||
| Year-End[33] | January 31, 2014 | $910,762 | $48,061 | $(55,846) | $902,977 | ||||
| April Quarterly[34] | April 15, 2014 | $902,977.34 | $58,494.22 | $(61,246.93) | $900,224.63 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $442,800.22 | $(236,903.94) | ||||||||
Bob Ries
| Bob Ries (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[35] | April 8, 2014 | $4,321.48 | $0 | $(536.27) | $3,785.21 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $0 | $(536.27) | ||||||||
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
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2012
The 5th Congressional District of Tennessee held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Jim Cooper won re-election in the district.[36]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Cooper Incumbent |
65.2% | 171,621 | |
| Republican | Brad Staats | 32.8% | 86,240 | |
| Green | John Miglietta | 2% | 5,222 | |
| Total Votes | 263,083 | |||
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Jim Cooper won re-election to the United States House. He defeated David Hall (R) in the general election.[37]
| U.S. House, Tennessee District 5 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jim Cooper incumbent |
57.2% | 99,162 | |
| Republican | David Hall | 42.8% | 74,204 | |
| Total Votes | 173,366 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR AUGUST 1, 2014," accessed August 4, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 4, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Associated Press, "Tennessee - Summary Vote Results," accessed August 7, 2014
- ↑ The Tennessean, "Rep. Jim Cooper avoids the partisan extremes," accessed August 4, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "2014 Election Race Ratings," accessed June 24, 2014
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-115," accessed July 16, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State Website, "Voter Qualification," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Redistricting Map "Map" accessed July 30, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Tennessee.gov, "Governor, United States Senate, and United States House of Representatives Petitions Filed by Qualifying Deadline," accessed April 3, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Petitions Filed for Governor, United States Senate, and United States House of Representatives," accessed July 18, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Project Vote Smart, "Representative Cooper's Voting Records on National Security," accessed October 15, 2013
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "Bill Summary & Status - 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) - H.R.624," accessed August 27, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 31: H.R. 2642," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "House clears Farm Bill," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 New York Times, "Senate passes long-stalled Farm Bill, with clear winners and losers," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 CNN.com, "House passes compromise $1.1 trillion budget for 2014," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 21," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "Omnibus Sails Through the Senate," January 16, 2014
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Cooper on agriculture," accessed October 15, 2013
- ↑ New York Times, "House Republicans push through Farm Bill, without food stamps," accessed September 17, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government shutdown: How we got here," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "H.AMDT.136," accessed August 28, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Representative Cooper's Voting Records on Immigration," accessed October 15, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Representative Cooper's Voting Records on Issue: Health and Health Care," accessed October 15, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Cooper 2014 Summary Reports," accessed July 24, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed July 24, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 24, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 29, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Cooper Year-End," accessed February 5, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 24, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Tennessee"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
