Retiring Democrat In Tennessee Says Party Is Facing Extinction In State

Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee recently announced that he will be retiring before the .

Now he is sounding an alarm for all Democrats.

He says the party is facing ‘extinction’ in Tennessee.

FOX News reports:

Outgoing Tennessee congressman says party ‘facing extinction’ in his state, relying on ‘blind hope’

Outgoing Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee sat down for an interview with a local newspaper on Tuesday to give his thoughts on upcoming elections and the future of the Democratic Party in his state.

Cooper’s predictions were far from optimistic, as he said that the party is “facing extinction” in Tennessee and claimed that Democrats have no strategy to appeal to rural voters.

“As usual, Democrats are not alert to future dangers,” Cooper lamented to the Nashville Scene. “The biggest danger we face in an off-year election after we won the White House is the 100-year trend toward the other party. Redistricting is small potatoes compared to that historical trend.”

Asked if he believed the would prove competitive in the long term, Cooper said that he hopes so, but “hope is not a strategy.” Cooper criticized the management of the party in his state, and told the Scene that the Democrats in Tennessee needed a new direction.

“Their strategy is blind hope,” Cooper said. “Many of the folks you’re probably listening to have probably never visited these counties. They’re not kin to these folks. Their best friends don’t live out there. I had the advantage of being born in Nashville but raised in Shelbyville.”

Sounds like Tennessee would be a great place to live.

The midterms are going to be big.

Cross posted from American Lookout.

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Mike LaChance has been covering higher education and politics for Legal Insurrection since 2012. Since 2008 he has contributed work to the Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller, Breitbart, the Center for Security Policy, the Washington Free Beacon, and Ricochet. He has also written for American Lookout, Townhall, and Twitchy.

You can email Mike LaChance here, and read more of Mike LaChance's articles here.

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