Brent Taylor

Taylor was born on August 9, 1968, in Batesville, Mississippi, according to Wikipedia, and the Tennessee General Assembly lists his birthdate.[2][7] He earned a degree in mortuary science from Northwest Mississippi Community College.[4] He was elected to the Memphis City Council in 1995 at age 27, which his campaign website describes as making him the youngest person ever elected to the council, and he served until 2007, according to Wikipedia.[3][7] In 2002 he lost the Republican primary for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District to then-state Sen. Marsha Blackburn, according to Wikipedia.[7]

With his wife, Kimberly, Taylor bought a first funeral home in 2004 and built what his campaign calls the largest family-owned funeral operation in the Mid-South.[3] The legislature's biography lists him as former president and CEO of Brentwood Funeral Services.[2] He served on the Shelby County Election Commission, including as chairman, until resigning to run for the State Senate, and his campaign website says he also filled a County Commission vacancy on an interim basis.[3][2] In 2022 he was elected to the Tennessee State Senate, District 31, defeating Democrat Ruby Powell-Dennis 66.3% to 33.7% and succeeding Brian Kelsey.[4][7]

In the Senate, Taylor serves as vice chair of the Commerce and Labor Committee, second vice chair of the Transportation and Safety Committee, and a member of the Judiciary Committee.[2] He announced his candidacy for the redrawn 9th District with endorsements from U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, and won the August 6, 2026 Republican primary with 46.0% of the vote in a four-candidate field.[8][5] He is married to Kimberly, they have two adult children, and the family lives in the Eads community, according to his campaign website.[3][2] According to his campaign website, he campaigned on supporting President Trump's agenda, with an emphasis on public safety and lowering costs.[3] He won the November 3, 2026 general election with 49.6% of the vote to Justin Pearson's 48.5%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]