Two state lawmakers will go head-to-head for Memphis’ former congressional district. Tennessee Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, won the GOP primary and could now flip the seat red under the new District 9 map. In the general election, he’ll face state Rep. Justin J. Person, D-Memphis, of the “Tennessee Three.”
President Donald Trump endorsed Taylor a few days before early voting kicked off. Taylor, along with other Republican lawmakers, heeded a call from Trump this spring to redraw the state’s congressional map to favor GOP candidates. The new map fractures Memphis into three different districts.
More: Primary election results
Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, which long represented the city, now stretches some 200 miles from one part of Memphis to Franklin in Middle Tennessee, introducing more Republican voters into the Democratic stronghold.
Taylor fended off a challenge from fellow state lawmaker, Rep. Todd Warner, R-Lewisburg. Warner had similarly aligned himself with Trump, having famously fashioned a Trump 2024 campaign flag into a cape during redistricting.
On the Democratic side, Pearson made a name for himself in his first term at the statehouse as one of the “Tennessee Three” lawmakers who faced expulsion for protesting for gun control on the House floor.
Determined to keep the 9th Congressional District blue, Pearson bested his fellow state lawmaker, Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis. Lamar joined the race post-redistricting after long-time Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen dropped out.
The son of a preacher, Pearson has been active in the church and in Memphis’ environmentalist circles, protesting the xAI data center and helping to stop the Byhalia Pipeline.
Taylor has been a proponent of Trump’s immigration crackdowns, sponsoring legislation to bring his agenda to the state level.
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