Breaking news, John:

Today, Justice Democrats is proud to endorse our third 2026 Democratic primary challenger: State Rep. Justin J. Pearson for Congress in Tennessee’s 9th district!

Justin is the second-youngest member of the Tennessee General Assembly after being elected to serve as the State Representative for District 86 in Memphis when he was 28 years old — and he’s already making an impressive impact.

You may remember Justin as one of the Tennessee lawmakers expelled from office by Republicans for bravely protesting gun violence on the House floor following a tragic mass school shooting in 2023.

Now, Justin is ready to take his courage and lived experience to Congress to give the people of Memphis a bold, new leader willing to fight for them in the face of worsening oligarchy and fascism.

Let’s set Justin up for success from Day 1: Will you pitch in right now to become a founding donor of his progressive, working-class campaign?

Long before Justin became a state representative and made a name for himself as one of the “Tennessee Three,” he fought to improve lives in his community since the age of 15. He understands their needs and struggles because he’s lived them.

Born and raised in Memphis to teenage parents who eventually became a preacher and a teacher, Justin grew up in a redlined community overburdened by pollution and held back by economic disenfranchisement. As a teenager, he saw his high school go underfunded and fought for his classmates at Mitchell High to receive new textbooks at the bare minimum.

After college, Justin returned to Memphis during the pandemic and co-founded Memphis Community Against Pollution in 2020, an environmental and climate justice nonprofit. He led the victorious fight against two billion-dollar oil companies from building a pipeline that would threaten Memphis’ pristine groundwater and take land from his neighbors, some of whose property has been in their family since the abolition of slavery in 1865.

Justin has continued his work for environmental justice to this day, as he currently fights alongside his community to protect Memphis families from the toxic pollution and economic exploitation caused by billionaire Elon Musk’s xAI data centers.

This young, energetic, and passionate leader could have given up when Republicans expelled him during his first weeks in office, but that’s not Justin. Instead, he was reinstated and won back his seat in a special election three months later, amassing nearly 94 percent of the vote, and was re-elected last November.

That is exactly the kind of fighter the Democratic Party needs in Congress — not an absent, career politician on autopilot while Trump’s National Guard takes over Memphis, like current TN-09 Rep. Steve Cohen.

Memphis deserves a warrior for justice and a champion for democracy who not only understands the struggles of his working-class, majority-Black district firsthand but also has the energy and proven track record of organizing, mobilizing, and activating people power.

It’s never easy going up against an incumbent, especially one who’s been in political office for over 40 years! But Justin is taking up the challenge and meeting the moment for his community and his country, and I know that with the support of our movement, he will WIN.

Rush $5 or more today to kick this campaign off strong and give working-class communities in Memphis the representation they deserve.

Contribute $5

In solidarity,

Alexandra Rojas
Executive Director