NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee community organizer Odessa Kelly announced Monday that she will challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper in the 2022 Democratic primary.
Kelly is backed by Justice Democrats, a progressive group that helped launch Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign in 2018.
“We need more pathways out of poverty, and the status quo is no longer good enough,” Kelly said in a statement. “ I know how to build coalitions that get results, and I’m running for Congress so that we can make bold, ambitious change at the national level.”
People were interested in these podcasts
Kelly is the co-founder and executive director of Stand Up Nashville, a coalition made up of community organizers and labor unions. If she won, Kelly would become the first openly gay, Black woman in Congress.
Cooper, a white lawmaker with a reputation as a moderate Democrat, has held his Nashville-area House seat since 2003. Before that, he spent time serving in the House from 1983 to 1995.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.