Local Activist Challenging Jim Cooper in Primary

Justin Jones, a divinity student and activist, has filed to challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) in the Democratic primary.

Jones was a frequent presence at the state Capitol in recent years as he protested the continued presence of a bust honoring slave trader and Confederate officer Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was arrested in February and charged with assault after allegedly throwing a paper cup into an elevator occupied by then-House Speaker Glen Casada.

Local and national groups have been considering challenging Cooper from the left. Eli Motycka, a local Green New Deal activist who told the Scene earlier this year that he wanted someone more liberal to hold Nashville’s seat in Congress, is listed as a contact for Jones’ campaign in Federal Election Commission filings. Jones could not be reached for comment Monday night.

Cooper has served in Congress for nearly three decades, and his brother John was recently elected mayor.

Read more: https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/21096941/local-activist-challenging-jim-cooper-in-primary