Eye on 2010

In interviews, local lawmakers expressed confusion over the surprise announcement. Herenton had previously indicated he would retire as mayor, but ran and won re-election.

Cohen, who is white, has faced continued criticism from individuals who argue the black-majority 9th should regain black representation. Herenton, who is black, did not mention Cohen or race in his statement, according to news reports, but voters looking to restore black representation to the district will likely seek out candidates to support.

The 9th was represented by members of the Ford family for 32 years prior to Cohen's 2006 win. Cohen was the only major white candidate out of 15 competitors in the 2006 primary. He beat Independent candidate Jake Ford in the heavily Democratic district that fall with support from local black leaders like Herenton.

In 2008, several members of the Congressional Black Caucus supported Cohen's primary opponent, Nikki Tinker, over their House colleague.

Race and religion became major issues in the primary, but Cohen, who has longstanding ties to the black community, bested Tinker 79 percent to 19 percent and easily won re-election to a second term in November.