Photo: Daniel Meigs

Keeda Haynes, a Nashville public defender who went to law school after a five-year prison sentence, is the latest Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville).

Haynes has been planning to run for months and was among the candidates considered by Justice Democrats, the national progressive group that helps Democrats challenge incumbents the group deems too moderate. She filed campaign paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Sunday. Haynes left the public defender's office, where she had worked since 2013, in December and is now a legal adviser for Free Hearts, a nonprofit organization that provides support to families affected by incarceration.

“As a public defender representing my clients every day in the courtroom, I advocated passionately for them,” Haynes says. “I stood up for them and stood up for their rights and stood up for what was right. I was not afraid to address the hard issues, and I will take that same level of passion to Washington to advocate on behalf of the community of District 5.”

She adds that she believes Nashville needs "a new voice and a fresh face" in Washington and that her campaign will focus on criminal justice reform, health care and affordable housing.



After conversations with multiple potential Cooper challengers in recent months, Justice Democrats leaders decided to stay out of the 5th Congressional District race, according to people with knowledge of the conversations.

The group initially approached local activist Gicola Lane about running against Cooper, Lane tells the Scene, but at the time she was in the middle of her own Metro Council race (she ultimately did not win) and had no interest in federal politics. So she suggested they contact Haynes instead, and they did.



Justice Democrats representatives also met with local organizer Odessa Kelly, who says she is not running.

“I’m honored that so many local and national groups and individuals believe I have the qualifications and quality to lead this city through public office,” Kelly tells the Scene. “But for now, I want to serve Nashville by working on the ground and giving power to the people.”



In addition to Haynes, Cooper is facing local activist Justin Jones in the primary, as well as Meredith Mattlin, a Democratic socialist, and Joshua Rawlings, formerly a Republican. No Republican has yet filed to run in the comfortably Democratic district, where Cooper is seeking re-election to a 16th term in Congress.

"I'm more than willing to work hard to raise the necessary resources that we need in order to get our message out," Haynes says. "Once we do that and we're able to fully get our message out I think that the voters will have a clear choice as to who they want to represent them regarding their issues in Washington, and I think the clear choice will be me."

Progressive activists — including those supporting Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and stronger opposition to President Donald Trump — have long sought to unseat Cooper, whose brother John was elected mayor earlier this year. Some of those activists were quick to back Jones’ nascent campaign when he announced he was running in November.

In the past year, Cooper has decided to support the Green New Deal and Trump’s impeachment after he previously did not.