Pearson to face Taylor in District 9 House race
by: David Royer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Democrat Justin J. Pearson will face off against Republican Brent Taylor for the newly redrawn U.S. House District race.
Pearson, of Memphis, is currently serving in the Tennessee House, representing District 86. He was first elected in 2023 to replace the late Rep. Barbara Cooper.
He has been an outspoken opponent of Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI data centers in the Memphis area, and against the Republican-led redistricting efforts that led to the new District 9 boundaries stretching from Memphis to the Nashville suburbs.
Brent Taylor of Eads is projected to win the Republican nomination in the race.
Taylor is currently serving his first term in the Tennessee Senate. He remains on the ballot in the GOP primary for District 31.
Sen. Taylor is a former funeral director, who served 12 years on the Memphis City Council. He was also chairman of the Shelby County Election Commission before resigning to run for State Senate.
Taylor was endorsed by President Donald Trump. Pearson was joined in a recent Memphis rally by prominent Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
House District 9 previously took in most of the Memphis city limits and leaned heavily Democratic. The district was redrawn this year in an effort by state Republicans.
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