The Ballot Brief
Tennessee
Candidate profile

Justin J. Pearson

Democratic · Tennessee · 2026 · Incumbent

On the ballot

U.S. House, TN-9Tennessee · 2026Tennessee House District 86Tennessee · 2026Shelby County sample ballot
Top priorities
  • End poverty and the affordability crisis with a county-by-county living wage, a doubled EITC and no grocery tax
  • Deliver environmental and climate justice for a district he says has become a dumping ground for polluting corporations
  • End the gun violence epidemic with national red flag orders, a ban on unserialized guns and waiting periods

Per the campaign site.

Biography

Justin J. Pearson is a Memphis state representative and community organizer who made his name shutting down the Byhalia Connection Pipeline; he co-founded Memphis Community Against the Pipeline, the grassroots group MLK50 credits with ending the project through Black Southwest Memphis neighborhoods in July 2021. He represents Tennessee House District 86 and was one of the "Tennessee Three" expelled in April 2023 over a gun-violence protest on the House floor and returned to his seat days later, a national profile that let him raise over $1 million from small donors. He won the August 6 Democratic contest with 65.75% (32,092 votes) in a four-way field.

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Voting info and more

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How we source this

Profile facts follow official election office filings and the sources cited in each biography. Roster last verified September 27, 2026. Official sources are the final word on who appears on your ballot.

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