“I don’t think I intimidated anybody; I only saw two people I knew,” Cohen said. He said that Tubbs Jones came out to explain why she was supporting Tinker and that he didn’t recall her saying anything about intimidating attendees.

Asked if it was a coincidence that he was having drinks near the fundraiser, Cohen admitted that he knew it was being held nearby.

Both Tubbs Jones and Cohen stressed that their disagreements were nothing personal. Cohen said he would take her at her word that she was helping Tinker was because they were sorority sisters.

Tubbs Jones isn’t the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) supporting Tinker. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) has also contributed to her campaign.

Conversely, CBC members John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) have aided Cohen.

Cohen faces Tinker and another well-known African-American, state Rep. Joe Towns Jr., in the Aug. 7 primary. Cohen took 31 percent of the vote in 2006 compared to 25 percent for Tinker, who was second.

Tubbs Jones’s support for a primary challenger appears to be rubbing at least some of her colleagues the wrong way.

One Democratic lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, is outraged that Tubbs Jones has chosen not to support Cohen.

“I don’t like this,” said the lawmaker, who knows both Tubbs Jones and Cohen well. “I think it’s bulls—t. I have never heard of a Democrat going against an incumbent. How do you justify that?”

The lawmaker expressed surprise that Tubbs Jones would choose a candidate over Cohen based on their mutual sorority-sister status. The lawmaker said he, too, doesn’t want to support some incumbents, but does so anyway.

“I don’t like a lot of these guys, but I’d campaign for them,” the lawmaker said.

Betsy Rothstein contributed to this report.