U.S. House · Tennessee's 9th District
Justin Pearson
Tennessee House of Representatives, District 86 (since 2023)D
- Race
- U.S. House · Tennessee's 9th District
- Result
- Brent Taylor, projected winner
- Opponents
- Brent Taylor (R); Dennis Jeffrey Clark (IND); Michelle Head (IND)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did5 statements · 0 votes
Democrat Justin Pearson, a Memphis state representative first elected in a 2023 special election, lost the November 3, 2026 election for Tennessee's 9th District to Brent Taylor. A community organizer who co-founded an environmental advocacy group, he drew national attention in April 2023 when the Tennessee House voted to expel him after a gun-control protest on the House floor; the Shelby County Commission reinstated him days later, and he was re-elected in 2024. He won the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary for the 9th District.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotU.S. House · 9
2026-11-03
| Justin Pearson D | challenger |
| Brent Taylor R | challenger |
| Dennis Jeffrey Clark IND | challenger |
| Michelle Head IND | challenger |
Won the August 6 Democratic primary with 65.8% of the vote
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
Campaign platform calls for passing Medicare for All and investing in rural hospitals and VA healthcare.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Campaign platform calls for permits to carry, a ban on assault rifles, and background checks with cooling-off periods for firearm purchases.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Campaign platform calls for ensuring the minimum wage is a true living wage.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Campaign platform calls for making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Campaign platform calls for fully funding public education and reining in what he calls school voucher "scams."
Documented position[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Democrat Justin Pearson, a Memphis state representative first elected in a 2023 special election, lost the November 3, 2026 election for Tennessee's 9th District to Brent Taylor. A community organizer who co-founded an environmental advocacy group, he drew national attention in April 2023 when the Tennessee House voted to expel him after a gun-control protest on the House floor; the Shelby County Commission reinstated him days later, and he was re-elected in 2024. He won the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary for the 9th District.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Pearson was born on January 7, 1995, in Memphis, according to the Tennessee General Assembly and Wikipedia, and his campaign says he is the fourth of five boys born to teenage parents.[2][3][6] His campaign website says that at age 15 he petitioned the school board to provide textbooks to his classmates.[6] He graduated from Mitchell High School in Memphis and from Bowdoin College in 2017, where Wikipedia reports he majored in Government & Legal Studies.[5][2][3]
Pearson has worked as a community organizer and founded a nonprofit organization.[5][2] In 2020 he co-founded Memphis Community Against Pollution, one of the local groups involved in the effort that ended plans for the Byhalia Pipeline, according to Wikipedia.[3] The legislature lists among his honors the 2024 Truman Center Award for Exceptional Moral Courage in Public Service and the 2023 National Urban League Freedom Fighters Award.[2]
The Shelby County Commission appointed Pearson acting state representative for District 86 on January 24, 2023, and he won the March 14, 2023 special election to formally take the seat.[5] On April 6, 2023, the Tennessee House voted 69–26 to expel him after he participated in a gun-control protest on the House floor, and the Shelby County Commission voted to reinstate him on April 12, 2023.[5] He won the August 3, 2023 special election with 94.0% of the vote and was re-elected in 2024.[5][6]
Pearson announced his congressional campaign on October 8, 2025, and won the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary for the 9th District with 65.8% of the vote against three opponents.[6][4] He lives in Memphis with his wife, Oceana R. Gilliam-Pearson, according to his campaign website.[6] During the campaign, he emphasized affordability, Medicare for All, and holding data-center operators accountable.[6][4] He received 48.5% of the vote to Brent Taylor's 49.6%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- 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.[8]
In their own 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.[7]
- Says he supports passing Medicare for All and investing in rural hospitals and the VA healthcare system.[7]
- Campaign platform calls for gun-safety measures including permits to carry, a ban on assault rifles, and background checks with cooling-off periods.[7]
Campaign money$2.3M raised · 99% from individuals · FEC through 2026-07-17
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $2.3M
- PACs & committees $33K
- Own money & loans $278
Largest committee contributions
- Building Blue PAC$10K
- Courage to Change PAC$10K
- Leaders We Deserve PAC$5,000
- Justice Democrats PAC PAC$5,000
- Engage Y'all PAC PAC$5,000
- Progressive Voters of America PAC$5,000
- Jane Fonda Climate PAC PAC$5,000
- SEIU COPE (Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education) PAC$5,000
- Future Democrats PAC PAC$2,500
- March on PAC PAC$2,500
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/justin-pearson
Compare all 4 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.U.S. House · Tennessee's 9th District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 2.Representative Justin J. Pearson · Tennessee General Assembly Official record
- 3.Justin J. Pearson · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 4.Tennessee's 9th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 5.Justin Pearson (Tennessee) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 6.Get to Know Justin J. Pearson · Justin J. Pearson for U.S. Congress Candidate's own words
- 7.Issues · Justin J. Pearson for U.S. Congress campaign website Candidate's own words
- 8.Justin Pearson (Tennessee) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference