willie herenton

One of Gov. Jon Corzine's biggest allies in Washington is U.S. Rep. Steven Cohen (D-Tenn.), who as chairman of a House Judiciary subcommittee probing federal monitor contracts has become a thorn in the side of the Republican candidate for governor, former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie.  New Jersey Democrats may be asked to return the favor sooner rather than later as Cohen finds himself in a genuinely tough re-election bid: a white Jew in a heavily Christian African-American majority district, he faces former five-term Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton in an August 2010 Democratic primary.

"This seat was set aside for people who look like me," Sidney Chism, a black County Commissioner who is managing the Herenton campaign told the New York Times. "It wasn't set aside for a Jew or a Christian. It was set aside so that blacks could have representation."

Two Democratic Congressmen who were on the House Judiciary subcommittee that questioned Christopher Christie  on Thursday found themselves with unrelated political problems of their own soon after the GOP candidate for Governor left Washington.  House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers' wife, Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges -- she took envelopes stuffed with cash.  And Steve Cohen, the subcommittee chairman and the Democrat who most aggressively challenged Christie on deferred prosecution agreements, will face a tough primary in a district where African American voters are the majority.  Popular five-term Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, an African American, said Thursday that he will challenge Cohen in the 2010 Democratic primary.