Candidates

Results

The incumbent, Jim Cooper (D), retained his seat, defeating the Republican challenger, Brad Staats. Cooper raised more than 1.1 million dollars to Staats’ 72 thousand. Cooper has held the seat since 2002.

Winner:

Jim Cooper (Democrat)

Congressman Jim Cooper, a Nashville native, was elected to Congress in 2002. He serves on the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Cooper received a BA in History and Economics from the University of North Carolina in 1975, an MA from Oxford University in 1977, and a JD from Harvard University in 1980. He is an adjunct professor at the Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

Website: www.cooper.house.gov

Social Media

Facebook: JimCooper

Twitter: @repjimcooper. 371 tweets, 2,934 followers

Finances

Top PAC donors:

Industries: $14,000
Political Committees: $10,000
Professional Services: $10,000
Banks: $6,000

Top Donors All PAC Donors PDF

Challengers:

Brad Staats (Republican)

Brad Staats has started several small businesses in Tennessee, including ConsulTel, Home Connect America (HCA) and Security 4 You. Previously he was a performing artist, appearing in Broadway plays such as “Phantom of the Opera,” “Evita,” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.”

Staats received a BA in English Literature from Oral Roberts University with a second degree in Music. He also studied at Florida State University.

Website: www.bradstaats.com

Social Media

Facebook: staats4congress

Twitter: @Staats4Congress. 214 tweets, 188 followers

Finances

John Miglietta (Green Party)

Dr. Miglietta is a Professor of Political Science at Tennessee State University. He is the author of the book ‘American Alliance Policy in the Middle East: 1945-1992.’

Websites: Green Party of Tennessee, www.johnmiglietta.org

Social Media

Facebook: no political page

Twitter: none

Finances: None reported

* Positions on issues are based on statements from the candidates’ websites, social media and/or voting records. If the candidate did not express a clear and consistent opinion on an issue, he or she is listed as taking no position.

The charts are not intended to provide an in-depth analysis of a candidate’s platform. Visit the candidates’ websites or social media sites, if available, for more information on their positions on these issues.

• The Affordable Care Act, popularly called Obamacare, is a set of laws that prevents people from being excluded from health insurance coverage but requires everyone to purchase health insurance. It was enacted on March 23, 2010, with various provisions being phased in at different times over the next several years.
• The Arizona immigration law is legislation passed in Arizona that requires police officers, while enforcing other laws, to question the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally. The two key issues are whether it is constitutional to require citizens to prove their citizenship to law enforcement officers, and whether it is constitutional for a state to have its own immigration policy separate from the federal government.
• The Stop the War on Coal Act was passed by the House on Sept. 20, 2012, and would significantly deregulate the coal industry from environmental statutes. It would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other sources, and prevent rules on the storage and disposal of coal ash and limit Clean Water Act rules. It would also prevent any new rules regulating mountaintop removal coal mining or toxic air emissions standards for coal-fired power plants. Proponents argue that new regulations will cause energy prices to rise.
• The Norquist no new taxes pledge: Grover Norquist is the founder and president of an anti-tax advocacy group called Americans for Tax Reform, which petitions members of congress to sign a pledge to never raise taxes under any circumstances.