Marsha Blackburn “can swim,” a Democratic consultant said Sunday in response to U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s violent remark about wanting President Donald Trump to tell the Senate candidate to jump off a bridge.
Cohen (D-TN-09) made the remark last month to a group of pastors at a prayer breakfast meant to increase Democratic turnout for the Aug. 2 elections. The breakfast was held at Broadway Baptist Church in Memphis and was hosted by Democrat Phil Bredesen’s campaign for the U.S. Senate.
“The big orange president …. He’s going to come down here and he is going to endorse Marsha Blackburn, because Marsha Blackburn, if he says, ‘Jump off the Harahan Bridge,’ she’ll jump off the Harahan Bridge,” he said in the audio obtained by The Huffington Post.
“I wish he’d say that,” Cohen said.
Democratic consultant John Rowley added to the violent attacks on Rep. Blackburn (R-TN-07). He told Fox 17 Nashville In Focus on Sunday that Cohen’s remark was “totally inbounds” because “Steve Cohen knows Marsha Blackburn can swim.” You can watch the clip here.
Rowley said the incitement to violence was “nothing.”
“It could be a good publicity stunt for the city of Memphis,” he added. “You never know … it could bring some economic activity.”
Rowley drew some laughs from the panel.
Scott Golden, Tennessee Republican Party chairman, was not amused. He said in a statement, “There’s nothing ‘inbounds’ about wishing for someone’s suicide, especially at a prayer breakfast, despite what Steve Cohen and his defenders may say. The unfortunate reality is that one Tennessean takes their own life every 8 hours. For Phil Bredesen and his supporters to casually dismiss the harmful rhetoric coming from Steve Cohen is incredibly disappointing. Tennesseans want and deserve better.”
Golden cited the statistic from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Tennessee’s statistics are available here.
Regarding Cohen’s remark, Blackburn told Fox News last week, “It’s hurtful to hear that. Steve is someone who was a colleague of mine in the state Senate and then we’ve served in Congress together. I have worked with him on issues like infant mortality issues in Shelby County, and we serve in the same delegation so when you hear something like that, it is hurtful, and of course, we haven’t received an apology.”
Watch the discussion:
