NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee said Tuesday that he will retire after more than 30 years in elected office, declaring there was “no way” for him to retain his seat under a new congressional map drawn up by state Republicans.
Cooper is the 29th Democrat to announce he won’t seek reelection to the chamber in the fall. Now in his 16th term, he is also one of the longest-serving House Democrats to retire ahead of a challenging midterm election year for the party.
His announcement comes just a day after Tennessee’s GOP-controlled General Assembly approved a new congressional map that would split booming Democratic-tilted Nashville three ways. Under the new plan, which still must be approved by the state’s GOP governor, Cooper would have become a significant underdog in holding his seat against a Republican.
“I cannot thank the people of Nashville enough,” Cooper said in a statement. “You backed me more than almost anyone in Tennessee history, making me the state’s 3rd longest-serving member of Congress.”
Cooper, 67, has represented Nashville’s 5th Congressional District since 2003. Before that, the moderate Democrat represented the state’s 4th Congressional District from 1983 to 1995. His brother, John Cooper, is the mayor of Nashville.