Former Tennessee lawmaker Justin Pearson wins Democratic primary on gun, voting and tech agenda

Three years after being expelled from the Tennessee legislature for protesting a school-shooting-related gun law, Justin Pearson won the Democratic primary in the state’s 9th congressional district. His campaign ties together voting-rights restoration, a Medicare-for-All vision and a stand against billionaire-backed data centers that he says pollute Black neighborhoods in South Memphis. The district was recently split after the Supreme Court’s decision that undermined the Voting Rights Act’s second provision, a move tied to broader efforts to dilute Black voting power.

Pearson’s activism includes halting an oil pipeline, co-founding Memphis Community Against Pollution, and challenging Elon Musk’s xAI data-center project. A rally of over 1,000 people, attended by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Summer Lee and Ayanna Pressley, highlighted his grassroots appeal. Endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Justice Democrats and progressive organizers underscore his positioning as a new-generation populist candidate.