The Full Record

U.S. House · Tennessee's 9th District

Memphis and surrounding Shelby County, under the congressional map Tennessee redrew in May 2026.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 24 claims re-checked against their sources · 2 corrected · 0 removed

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

  • Corrected Pearson background item: he was not 'elected... in a January 2023 special election' — Ballotpedia shows he was appointed by the Shelby County Commission as acting representative on January 24, 2023, and was first elected in the March 14, 2023 special election.
  • Corrected Pearson record item on his 2023 expulsion: removed unsupported details ('on the House floor', 'following the Covenant School shooting') not present in the cited source, and added the confirmed vote tally (69-26 on House Resolution 63) and the August 3, 2023 special election he won to formally return to the seat, replacing the acting reinstatement by the county commission.
  • Verified Taylor's quotes, primary vote shares (65.8% Pearson, 46.0% Taylor), and May 2026 campaign-announcement date against the cited Ballotpedia page; Pearson's campaign priorities confirmed against his campaign site's issues page.

On the ballot · 4 candidates

Justin PearsonDTennessee House of Representatives, District 86 (since 2023)

Raised $2.3M · spent $1.5M · $845K cash on hand (through 2026-07-17) FEC filing ↗

Brent TaylorRTennessee State Senate, District 31 (since 2022)

Raised $1.5M · spent $1.1M · $417K cash on hand (through 2026-07-17) FEC filing ↗

Dennis Jeffrey ClarkINDMichelle HeadIND

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEJustin Pearson
D
Brent Taylor
R
Dennis Jeffrey Clark
IND
Michelle Head
IND
Stricter gun lawsSupports[4]———
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations—Supports[2]——
Raise taxes on high earners or corporationsSupports[4]———
Expand public health coverageSupports[4]———
Increase police funding and staffing—Supports[2]——
Public funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)Opposes[4]———
Raise the minimum wageSupports[4]———

The candidates, in full

Justin Pearson

DTennessee House of Representatives, District 86 (since 2023)

Won the August 6 Democratic primary with 65.8% of the vote

Justin Pearson is a Memphis state representative first elected in a January 2023 special election, who gained national attention after being expelled from and then reinstated to the Tennessee House following gun-control protests on the House floor. He is a community organizer and nonprofit founder running as the Democratic nominee for the 9th District.[3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

  • action2023-04-06 · As a Tennessee state representative, was expelled from the Tennessee House on April 6, 2023 by a 69-26 vote on House Resolution 63, after participating in a March 30, 2023 protest at the State Capitol in support of gun-control laws; was reinstated in an acting capacity by the Shelby County Commission on April 12, 2023, and won a special election on August 3, 2023 to formally return to the seat.[3]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Campaign platform calls for passing Medicare for All and investing in rural hospitals and VA healthcare.[4]

  • SupportsStricter gun laws

    Campaign platform calls for permits to carry, a ban on assault rifles, and background checks with cooling-off periods for firearm purchases.[4]

  • SupportsRaise the minimum wage

    Campaign platform calls for ensuring the minimum wage is a true living wage.[4]

  • SupportsRaise taxes on high earners or corporations

    Campaign platform calls for making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.[4]

  • OpposesPublic funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)

    Campaign platform calls for fully funding public education and reining in what he calls school voucher "scams."[4]

In their words — priorities

  • Campaign platform calls for a federal jobs guarantee, a true living minimum wage, and passage of the PRO Act to protect workers' right to organize.[4]
  • Says he supports passing Medicare for All and investing in rural hospitals and the VA healthcare system.[4]
  • Campaign platform calls for gun-safety measures including permits to carry, a ban on assault rifles, and background checks with cooling-off periods.[4]

Background

  • Graduated from Mitchell High School in Memphis.[3]
  • Career experience as a community organizer; founded a nonprofit organization.[3]
  • Appointed by the Shelby County Commission as acting state representative for District 86 on January 24, 2023, then won the March 14, 2023 special election to formally take the seat; re-elected in 2024.[3]

Campaign money

Raised $2.3M · spent $1.5M · $845K cash on hand (through 2026-07-17) FEC filing ↗

Campaign website ↗Shareable profile page

Brent Taylor

RTennessee State Senate, District 31 (since 2022)

Won the August 6 Republican primary with 46.0% of the vote in a four-candidate field

Brent Taylor is a Tennessee state senator and funeral director who previously served on the Memphis City Council. He is the Republican nominee for the 9th District, running on public safety and support for President Trump's agenda.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

  • actionElected to the Tennessee State Senate, District 31, in 2022; previously served on the Memphis City Council from 1995 to 2007.[2]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportations

    Campaign website says he would fight to finish the border wall, deport people in the country illegally who have committed crimes, and end sanctuary policies.[2]

    “finish the border wall, restore strong enforcement, deport criminal illegal immigrants, end sanctuary policies, and strengthen cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement so Tennessee families are protected.”
  • SupportsIncrease police funding and staffing

    Campaign centers on increased support for local law enforcement to address crime in Memphis.[2]

In their words — priorities

  • Campaign centers on public safety, saying Memphis has been "terrorized by criminals" under what he calls a "soft-on-crime" district attorney.[2]
  • Says he will support President Trump's agenda in Washington, including cutting federal spending and regulations.[2]

Background

  • Earned a degree in mortuary science from Northwest Mississippi Community College; worked as a funeral director.[2]
  • Served on the Memphis City Council from 1995 to 2007 and on the Shelby County Election Commission.[2]
  • Elected to the Tennessee State Senate, District 31, in 2022.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $1.5M · spent $1.1M · $417K cash on hand (through 2026-07-17) FEC filing ↗

Shareable profile page

Dennis Jeffrey Clark

IND

Dennis Jeffrey Clark is an independent candidate on the November 3 general-election ballot for Tennessee's 9th District. Ballotpedia lists no biography or Candidate Connection survey response for him.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Michelle Head

IND

Michelle Head is an independent candidate on the November 3 general-election ballot for Tennessee's 9th District. Ballotpedia lists no biography or Candidate Connection survey response for her.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Research notes & limits

Brent Taylor's own campaign website could not be confirmed to load; his positions and priorities are drawn from Ballotpedia's summary of his campaign materials, quoting his site directly. No public records were found for independent candidates Dennis Jeffrey Clark or Michelle Head.

Sources · 4

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.Tennessee's 9th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Brent Taylor candidate profile · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  3. 3.Justin Pearson (Tennessee) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  4. 4.Issues · Justin J. Pearson for U.S. Congress campaign website Candidate's own words