Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, a white lawmaker with a reputation as a moderate Democrat, defeated Keeda Haynes, a Black public defender, in the primary for just one of two Democratic-held congressional seats in Tennessee. Haynes argued that the Middle Tennessee district should be represented by someone more progressive, while Cooper countered that he has voted overwhelmingly with Democrats during his long political tenure. Cooper has held his Nashville-area House seat since 2003. Before that, he served in the House representing the 4th Congressional District from 1983 to 1995. Joshua Rawlings also ran in the Democratic primary but raised the least amount of money of the three.
