Tennessee Three’s Justin J. Pearson announces run for Congress, challenging longtime Democrat

“I am ready to fight for us,” says Pearson in a new campaign video.

Tennessee State Rep. Justin J. Pearson announced that he is running for Congress, setting up a primary contest against longtime Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen.

“I am ready to fight for us in the United States Congress. The U.S. House of Representatives must be centered on us,” said Pearson in a campaign video declaring his candidacy for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District in the 2026 election.

Pearson, 30, gained national notoriety in 2023 after he was expelled from the Tennessee State House of Representatives. Pearson and Reps. Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson, known then as the Tennessee Three, were brought up on expulsion charges after participating in a protest against gun violence on the House floor with constituents. Pearson and Jones, who are both young and Black, were ultimately expelled; however, they both returned to their seats after being re-elected in special elections.

Pearson has remained a vocal advocate for gun safety reform in the state of Tennessee, and most recently led a grassroots movement against Elon Musk’s xAI data center in Memphis, which he and environmentalists warned was a health safety hazard due to the facility polluting the city’s air quality.

“I’m proud to be one of us, a Memphian, born and raised, who understands how to build bridges across race, identity, ethnicity and generations in order to build the future that we want to live into,” said Pearson in his campaign video.

“We stood together to fight against the billion-dollar corporations and crude oil pipelines to try to divide our communities and fracture our future. When I went to serve in Nashville, we knew better when we stood up for democracy. Even after I got expelled fighting for gun violence prevention, we always stand up against those who try to silence us, push us to the periphery, push us to the back in the places that should represent us.”

Pearson’s challenge against Rep. Cohen, who has served in Congress since 2007, comes as national Democrats in Washington, D.C., face continued criticisms of not meeting the moment in opposition to the Trump administration and being in need of new, stronger, and younger voices.

During the 2024 election, Justin traveled the country to campaign for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who faced a lag of support from young voters of color.

Pearson told theGrio at the time, “We’ve seen politics at the state level expelling lawmakers and banning them instead of banning assault rifles. We’ve seen at the even more local level books being banned instead of more resources going to kids to learn.”

Reflecting on the economic anxiety felt by many Americans, but especially young Americans, Pearson said, “Folks aren’t having kids … you’re worried about what the consequences of the rising greed-flation is going to have in your life. Or student loan debt … You can’t make necessary moves if you get $150,000 worth of debt.”

He added, “We need somebody who’s going to show up and give the best of their effort on behalf of the entire country, and not just the privileged few.”