Tent revivals and sports bars: on the campaign trail for Tennessee District 9

At a public park in Williamson County, state Rep. Justin J. Pearson’s campaign rally has the structure and the tenor of a Sunday service.

Nashville singer-songwriter Heather Mae warms up the crowd with a protest song, ending in “God Bless America.”

The son of a preacher, Pearson talks politics with the fervor of someone speaking from the pulpit. And tonight, he is preaching to the choir.

“This is America!” Pearson cries. “In this country, every person deserves access to healthcare. We are going to stop the build out of toxic data centers in Tennessee and across the United States of America by passing a national moratorium that protects our air, protects our water, protects our soil and protects our jobs.”

Tennessee’s new 9th Congressional District is the state’s most closely watched race. Republicans redrew Memphis’ district in May to favor their party, but an energized Democratic base paired with rising gas prices and an unpopular war in Iran could make the race a toss-up.

A small but mighty base

Pearson had a foothold in this wealthy Nashville suburb before redistricting made it part of the 9^th Congressional District.

In the aftermath of the Covenant School shooting, Pearson’s protest for gun reform on the House floor may have gotten him expelled by his fellow lawmakers, but it also inspired loyalty in Republicans and independents who wanted change after the tragedy.

“I expected that something would be done. When kids die, people should do something to make it not happen again,” said independent voter Carla Temple.

Temple told WPLN News that Pearson sat with her and other moms on the steps on the Capitol, comforting them after representatives had ignored their calls for gun reform.

Marianna Bacallao WPLN News

Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis (center, white shirt) and Equity Alliance CEO Tequila Johnson — arms linked with Pearson — lead a march up the steps of the Tennessee Capitol on Tuesday.

“He told us as parents that he would do everything in his power to represent us,” Temple said. “He went in there and he did exactly that. Maybe it wasn’t within the rules of decorum that everybody wanted to see, but I knew he was there in my best interest.”

Temple doesn’t agree with redistricting; she said she doesn’t want to be represented by someone from Memphis, but it will happen either way.

Pearson’s opponent, state Sen. Brent Taylor, is from the Memphis suburbs. In a series of Facebook video diaries, Taylor has been chronicling the campaign trail, which stretches nearly 300 miles from Memphis to Brentwood. One of his campaign helpers, who he affectionally calls “Aunt B,” is a main character in the series.

“We’re going to attend festivals and fish fries, and we’re going to end the day at a demolition derby,” Taylor said, filming from the passenger seat of a car. “Barbara, Aunt B, I think I’m going to get you to see if you can drive one of those demolition derby cars.”

From the backseat, Aunt B joked, “I would love to hit my men with some cars.”

The Blackburn playbook

At a rally inside a Franklin sports bar Tuesday night, the crowd was mostly campaign managers and other elected officials. Erinn Watkins, who ran for Franklin alderman, said she used to support Bernie Sanders. Now, she supports Taylor.

“He really believes in America and wants the best for us,” Watkins said. “It’s so important that people vote in this election, because the socialists — they’re not even hiding it anymore. They want to overthrow the government. They want to get rid of our American way of life, and they want to make things hard for everyone.”

Taylor holds this rally alongside other Republican candidates, who all have one over-arching message: a vote for Taylor is a vote against communism

“We need common sense, not communism in Congress!” Taylor said. “We need confidence, not chaos in Congress.”

Pearson is not a communist or Democratic socialist candidate.

Marianna Bacallao WPLN News

Tennessee Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, at a campaign rally for Congress on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.

Taylor is taking a page from U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s campaign playbook. He sticks to a script, repeating that last line in front of crowds and to reporters after the fact.

Taylor quickly left the venue afterwards, refusing to answer reporter questions in the wake of a Nashville Scene report that found Taylor had sent multiple women unsolicited nude photos as recently as 2021. He said that talking about the incident upsets his wife, who has forgiven him.

Keeping the faith

Pearson, meanwhile, stuck around his rally, chatting with voters until the crowd died down. He recorded messages to play for different church congregations during their pre-service announcements, celebrating pastor anniversaries.

He has a line he breaks out for people on the campaign trail: “When I’m traveling, I tell people: I serve in the statehouse with these Republicans, and they can’t read the red letters of the Bible.”

The red letters of the Bible are Jesus’ words, and Pearson said his imperative to love thy neighbor runs counter to how lawmakers like Taylor behave.

As his last act of the night before the two-hour drive back to Memphis, Pearson answered a question from WPLN News about how he aims to reach Christians who see the Republican party as synonymous with their faith.

“Faith is based in love,” Pearson said. “It’s not based in hate. It’s not based in division. It’s not based in white supremacy. It’s not based in separation. It’s based in love.”

Still, there are some issues that are non-starters for a lot of Christian voters, like abortion and LGBTQ rights.

Pearson faces an uphill battle in a district designed by and for the GOP.  Election Day on Nov. 3 will show whether Pearson’s passion can overcome Republican loyalty.