Justin Pearson to challenge Rep. Steve Cohen
Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson announced Oct. 8 in Memphis that he will challenge 10-term Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen for the state’s 9th Congressional District seat in 2026. Pearson, 30, a member of the 2023 'Tennessee Three' expelled over a gun-control protest before being reinstated, framed the race as a generational and policy contrast, citing poverty and federal investment in Memphis; Cohen, 76, first elected in 2006, has not yet commented.
Elections
Politics
📌 Key Facts
- Pearson announced his bid Oct. 8, 2025 at a Memphis park near his childhood neighborhood.
- The 9th District, centered on Memphis, is Tennessee’s only Democratic-leaning congressional district.
- Pearson and fellow 'Tennessee Three' member Justin Jones were expelled in 2023 over a gun-control protest and later reinstated; Cohen is a 10-term incumbent first elected in 2006.