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Justin Pearson Joins DCCC's Red to Blue Program
Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) has joined the DCCC’s Red to Blue program, signaling national Democratic backing for his campaign.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Democratic · 3 November 2026
Justin Pearson
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 86th district (since 2023)
Justin Pearson, a Democrat who has represented the 86th district in the Tennessee House of Representatives since 2023, is his party's nominee for the open 9th congressional district seat in 2026 against Republican state senator Brent Taylor.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Justin Pearson.
Latest coverage
Live News
Recent media coverage for Justin Pearson.
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Pearson Trails Taylor by 4 Points in New TN-9 Poll
A TN-09 House race poll shows incumbent or favored candidate Pearson trailing Taylor by four points, despite broad district-wide support for Trump.
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Brent Taylor Aims to Flip Redrawn Tennessee 9th District
The article covers the race for Tennessee’s newly drawn 9th Congressional District (TN-9), focusing on Republican Brent Taylor and Democrat Justin Pearson as primary contenders.
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Pearson Presses TN-09 Bid Despite New District Lines
The article reports that Rep. Justin Pearson, a Democrat from Memphis, will remain in the race for Tennessee’s newly drawn 9th Congressional District (TN-09) despite redistricting.
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Congressional candidates debate the issues
The Moore County News report covers Tennessee’s U.S. House race in the newly redrawn 9th District (Lynchburg to Memphis), highlighting energy prices, data centers, and crime as key issues.
themoorecountynews.com
Taylor
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- January 7, 1995
- Birthplace
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Education
- Mitchell High School
Bowdoin College (government and legal studies, 2017)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Justin Pearson was born on January 7, 1995, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Jason Pearson, a preacher, and Kimberly Owens-Pearson, a teacher.
When he was 11, his family moved to the Washington, D.C. area while his father pursued a master's degree at Howard University, and they returned to Memphis four years later.
At Mitchell High School he was active in student government, lobbied for textbooks and Advanced Placement classes, joined the debate team and graduated as valedictorian. He graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, in 2017, majoring in government and legal studies.
In 2020 he co-founded the environmental advocacy group Memphis Community Against Pollution, which joined the successful effort to cancel construction of the Byhalia Pipeline. Pearson married Oceana Gilliam in 2025.
Career
Justin Pearson entered the Tennessee House of Representatives through a special election to succeed Barbara Cooper in the 86th district, winning the ten-person Democratic primary on January 24, 2023, with 52.3% of the vote, and he was sworn in on February 9, 2023.
In April 2023 the House expelled him and fellow representative Justin Jones for violating decorum rules by joining a gun control protest on the House floor after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville.
Six days later, on April 12, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners reappointed him by unanimous vote, and he then competed in an August 2023 special election. In 2024 he won the Democratic primary with 93.4% of the vote and the general election with 77.9%.
His legislative work has included a bill to repeal Tennessee's permitless carry law and a proposal to create extreme risk protection orders.
2026 race
Justin Pearson announced his campaign for Tennessee's 9th congressional district, which is based in Memphis and a portion of Tipton County, on October 8, 2025, at Alonzo Weaver Park next to Mitchell High School.
The Democratic incumbent, Steve Cohen, initially ran for re-election, then withdrew his candidacy in May 2026 because of the Tennessee redistricting, leaving the seat open.
Pearson won the Democratic nomination against a field that included state senator London Lamar, community activist M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams and healthcare executive Jim Torino.
In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Republican Brent Taylor, a state senator from the 31st district who won the Republican primary with 46.0% of the vote.