John Jay Hooker Jr.NASHVILLE -- U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., is urging fellow Democrats to vote for independent John Jay Hooker in governor's race over Democrats' little-known nominee, Charlie Brown, on Nov. 4.
Cohen said Monday he fears that otherwise few Democrats will be motivated to vote in the governor's race, featuring long-shot Brown's quixotic quest to take on Republican Gov. Bill Haslam
And that's important, the Memphis congressman said, warning that if there's a low turn-out in the governor's race, it will make it easier for pro-life proponents to win passage of Amendment 1 because of the requirements on amending the Tennessee Constitution.
"My main interest ... is a hope this Amendment 1 will fail," Cohen said after his urging of Memphis Democrats to back Hooker was first reported by the Memphis Flyer, an alternative newspaper. "I think it [Amendment 1] is a disgrace to our women, and a disgrace to our physicians and a disgrace to our constitution."
Amendment 1 would amend the Tennessee Constitution and void a 2000 state Supreme Court decision that held the state constitution granted women greater rights to an abortion that the U.S. Constitution under the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision.
The amendment must win a majority of the votes cast in the governor's race in order to become part of the state constitution.
Proponents argue the amendment is necessary to give state legislators more power to regulate abortion procedures and promote safety. Critics charge those regulations are really designed to make it harder for women to get an abortion.
Noting that although he's fond of "Peanuts," the cartoon featuring the character Charlie Brown, Cohen said, "I'm just afraid that people will come out and they won't vote for [candidate] Charlie Brown because they've never heard of him or they think he's funny or not really running a campaign."
Much to the consternation of Democratic Party officials, the 72-year-old Brown, a retired construction worker who lives in Oakdale, Tenn., unexpectedly won Democrats' Aug. 7 primary despite spending virtually nothing.
"I just want to let people know that John Jay Hooker's out there. and he's been the nominee in 1970, nominated in the '90s," Cohen said. "He's run for senator. He's run for governor. He's dressed, tested and true. You know he's good on Democratic issues."
Cohen said Democrats just needed to vote for someone be it Hooker or Green and Libertarian candidates in order to build a higher vote total in the governor's race.
"Even Haslam," Cohen said.
Brown was taken aback.
"Well, I'll be damned," he said. "I'm against it [Amendment 1] too. That's none of legislators' business and the safety of the women comes first."
Cohen said that having authored the successful amendment that created a Tennessee Lottery in 2002, he's well aware of how the process works.
The fewer votes cast in the governor's race, the easier it becomes for Amendment 1 proponents to gain the majority they need, Cohen said.
He recalled that on the lottery amendment "we got 57 percent of the yesses versus noes. But we only got 53 percent of the people who voted for governor. So if we'd have had 53 percent of the yesses versus the noes it would have failed."
Cohen recalled how another amendment on the 2002 ballot, this one dealing with court fines, failed despite receiving 100,000 more yes votes than no votes. That was because it failed to receive the required majority of votes in the governor's race, the congressman said.
Contact staff writer Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550.