Justin J. Pearson faced Brent Taylor on Election Day as voters in South Memphis and Middle Tennessee chose the next representative for Tennessee's U.S. House District 9 seat. The race came after Tennessee Republicans redrew the district, turning a seat that had once leaned Democratic into one they hoped would favor the GOP.
Justin J. Pearson and District 9
Pearson entered the race after announcing in October 2025 that he would challenge Steve Cohen for the seat. He had first been elected to Barbara Cooper's former seat in a 2023 special election, then was reappointed by the Shelby County Commission and later won another election for that seat.
His path into District 9 followed a political rise that accelerated after the 2023 House floor protest over gun violence after the Covenant School shooting. Pearson and two other Democrats were ousted from the Tennessee House of Representatives after that protest. Pearson also co-founded Memphis Community Against the Pipeline, later renamed Memphis Community Against Pollution.
Brent Taylor in Tennessee
Taylor entered the District 9 race after the new maps were passed, only weeks before the primary vote. He earned an endorsement from Marsha Blackburn and brought a record that included service on the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission, along with time as chairman of the Shelby County Election Commission.
Before this race, Taylor had run for the District 31 seat in 2022 and won in a near landslide. He also was running a reelection bid for District 31 at the same time he was on the ballot in District 9, where he faced a Democratic challenger.
South Memphis and Middle Tennessee
The District 9 race reflected the shift caused by redistricting. Pearson had once been in a Democratic primary toss-up with Cohen, but the new map changed the contest and created the opening for Taylor to join the field late.
That left voters in South Memphis and Middle Tennessee with a choice between two candidates who came from different political paths but were now competing for the same seat. The result of the election was to follow once the polls closed.
