Candidates

Results

The incumbent, Steve Cohen (D), retained his seat, defeating the Republican challenger, George Flinn Jr., in spite of Flinn’s loan of 1.5 million dollars to his own campaign, twice what Cohen had raised. Cohen has held the seat since 2006.

Incumbent:

Steve Cohen (Democrat)

Congressman Steve Cohen was elected to the U.S. House in 2006, after serving 24 years in the Tennessee State Senate. Cohen was an early supporter of the Tennessee State Lottery, and leads policy debate on issues of infant mortality, education, crime and criminal rehabilitation, universal health care, transportation, and the economy.

Website: cohen.house.gov

Social Media

Facebook: CongressmanSteveCohen

Twitter: @RepCohen. 549 tweets, 4,809 followers

Finances

Top PAC donors:

Industries: $45,000
Labor: $10,000
Political PACs: $10,000

Top Donors All PAC Donors PDF

Challengers:

George S. Flinn Jr. (Republican)

Dr. George Flinn has served on the Shelby County Board of Commissioners since 2004. He operates seven radiology offices in West Tennessee and North Mississippi and is the owner of Flinn Broadcasting, with 40 television and radio stations across the U.S. Flinn’s platform includes creating jobs, cutting taxes and government spending, developing domestic energy sources, and creating a sustainable health care program.

Website: georgeflinn.com

Social Media

Facebook: flinnforcongress

Twitter: @GeorgeFlinn. 371 tweets, 940 followers

Finances

Gregory M. Joiner (Independent)

Gregory Joiner works as a material handler for FedEx and holds degrees in physical education and journalism from Tennessee Technological University. He is an advocate of early childhood education reform, job creation in small businesses, reduction of foreign military bases, and abolition of the Electoral College.

Website: www.youtube.com/user/votejoiner

Social Media

Facebook: RedemptionNation2012

Twitter: none

Finances: None reported

Brian L. Saulsberry (Independent)

No information available.

Website: none

Social Media

Facebook: none

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.