U. S. Rep. Cooper regrets what he said about S.C. voters

A spokesperson for U. S. Rep. Jim Cooper says the Nashville Democrat made a “poor analogy” when using a phrase offensive to members of the Down syndrome community during a recent interview.

Cooper, who was just re- elected to his 16th term in Congress, made the comments in a story published Monday by the Nashville Scene and Nashville Post.

“I’ve said for years that they have extra chromosomes, South Carolina voters,” said Cooper, who represents Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district. “Anybody who could re-elect [U.S. Sen.] Lindsey Graham after his two- faced performance on federal judges, they have a tolerance that I can’t imagine.”

Certain genetic conditions like Down syndrome are caused by having an extra chromosome.

In response to a request for comment about Cooper’s remarks, his office said the congressman was referring to bigotry and racism among voters in the nearby Southern state.

“To be clear, he was referring to the legacy of bigots and racists, and a clearly high tolerance for hypocrisy in South Carolina,” press secretary Katie Feldhaus Jackson said by email. “It was a poor analogy and he regrets it.”

As noted in the story, the phrase is one Cooper said he has used “for years.”

Cooper made the comments in response to a question about why some Democratic candidates this year performed poorly despite out-raising Republicans.

He noted that Graham’s opponent, Jaime Harrison, “was an outstanding candidate,” despite losing the U. S. Senate race by 10 percentage points. Harrison’s campaign raised more than $100 million.

“The bottom line is this, money doesn’t buy votes,” Cooper said in the interview. “And that’s a good thing. We’d all be in worse shape if money could buy votes.”

Cooper, a member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition of Democrats, defeated primary challenger Keeda Haynes in August. Haynes, a new, more progressive candidate, received just under 40% of the vote. Cooper faced no Republican opposition in the November general election.

Cooper on Twitter on Monday afternoon faced swift calls from some to issue an apology for the remark.

Among those asking for an apology was Carrie Buck of Smyrna.

“This is so disrespectful to those who do have an extra chromosome!” Buck wrote. “My son, who has Down syndrome, is absolutely amazing and loves to no end! Our kiddos are so very capable and [ Cooper] needs to apologize for this terrible comment!!!”