Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen, a Democrat, has represented the Ninth Congressional District of Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Biography
Cohen was born in Memphis, Tennessee on May 24, 1949. Cohen graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1973, he graduated from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law of Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) with a Juris Doctor.

After practicing law for three years as Legal Advisor for the Memphis Police Department, Cohen rose to political prominence at the age of 27 when he was elected to the Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1977, which elected him its vice president. Cohen was then elected to serve as a commissioner on the Shelby County Commission, an office he held from 1978 to 1980. During his time at the Commission, Cohen was instrumental in the creation of The Med, a community-funded regional hospital. In 1980, Cohen served as an interim Shelby County General Sessions Court judge. He has also served as a delegate to the 1980, 1992, and 2004 Democratic National Conventions. In 1984, he was elected to the state Senate, a position which he held for 24 years. His most notable accomplishment was the imposition of a state lottery meant to fund college scholarships. In 1996, he ran for U.S. Congress, but was defeated by Harold Ford, Jr. in the Democratic primary. When Ford retired, Cohen successfully contested for the Democratic nomination. As the Ninth District is heavily Democratic, his victory in the primary made him a heavy favorite to win the November election, which he did.

2006 elections
In the 2006 congressional elections, Cohen defeated Republican Mark White and independent Jake Ford to replace Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.), who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate.

2008 elections
On August 7, 2008, Cohen won the Democratic nomination for the 9th CD.

Money in politics
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Committees and Affiliations

 * House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
 * Subcommittee on Aviation
 * Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines
 * Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
 * House Committee on the Judiciary
 * Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
 * Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property

External articles

 * Jerry Skurnik, " Congressional Elections - Good for the Jews (and the Buddhists)," Room Eight, November 8, 2006.

External resources

 * Steve Cohen for Congress, official campaign site.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Daily kos - Chris D. Jackson
 * 2006 Tennessee Senate race news/discussion blog