Jim Cooper - victim of attempt to purge centrist Dems?

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Cooper's vote against Sandy relief was pretty inexcusable to this centrist Democrat.

^^^ This. I don't really mind him being a centrist at all, but what the hell was he thinking voting against Sandy relief?

Also, it needs to be said that this is a Nashville based district. Nashville isn't trending Republican. It's getting full of hipsters and it also has a lot of blacks. Also there is a fair amount of growth in the downtown/greens hills/east Nashville area. If anything it will continue to trend Democrat.

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Is mid decade redistricting possible in Tennessee? If so, Cooper should be left alone. If not, then it should be made clear to him what will happen if he keeps voting like he did on the Sandy bill. Even not supporting Pelosi is a little suspect.

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I think there is a good chance Cooper could hold on to the 5th district you drew, Torie. Indeed, his current voting record indicates he thinks he is running in that sort of a district.

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Voting against Sandy aid is not rational.

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I think there is a good chance Cooper could hold on to the 5th district you drew, Torie. Indeed, his current voting record indicates he thinks he is running in that sort of a district.

Maybe, but Cooper would have to go pretty rogue to survive. It didn't work for Davis or whatever is name was in the Mid TN rural CD, TN-04. He was blown out in 2010. He would certainly survive in my more "responsible" gerrymander, which was about Pub PVI 3% or so. I like marginal to tilt CD's with Dems in them. The Dems need more outspoken centrists, and it is good to have some bipartisan support for controversial issues. Ditto for the Pubs of course in swing CD's and tilt Dem CD's.

Look at how much better Cooper did than Obama in his district. I think he would do fairly well in Rutherford County and the race would be decided by what the people in the Mount Juliet area as well as the more rural areas of the south feel like (I think that's Tullahoma?).