By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-07 02:36:54 | Updated at 2026-08-07 05:04:37
2 hours ago
NASHVILLE—Republican Brent Taylor and Democrat Justin Pearson will advance to the general election in the race for Tennessee’s newly carved Ninth Congressional District.
The U.S. House seat previously covered only the Democratic stronghold of Memphis before it was redistricted in the spring, merging western Tennessee with residents living 200-plus miles away in the Nashville area.
Taylor, a state senator, won the Republican primary, beating Tennessee state Rep. Todd Warner, businesswoman Charlotte Bergmann, and retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Thompson.
The Associated Press called the race at 8:40 p.m. ET.
Pearson, a Tennessee state representative, emerged in the top spot on the Democratic ticket, fending off Tennessee state Sen. London Lamar, former Chief Operating Officer of the healthcare company StationMD Jim Torino, and political activist and commentator M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams.
Pearson declared victory in an emotional speech from his election night watch party in Memphis.
“I am so humbled and honored to be the Democratic nominee,” Pearson said during his speech to supporters.
The Associated Press called the race at 9:33 p.m. ET.
Longtime U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who held the seat when District 9 was mostly in Memphis, ended his bid for reelection after Gov. Bill Lee signed the redistricting bill in May.
The law reshaped District 9 to link Memphis, with a poverty rate of around 65 percent, with the ritzy Williamson County, one of the wealthiest counties in the United States.
It also transformed the seat from being rated as a “Solid Democratic” district to a “Solid Republican” district, according to the Cook Political Report.
The Epoch Times spoke to voters on each side of the 200-plus-mile U.S. congressional district and heard very different concerns.
Campaigners stand in a Memphis-area parking lot touting their candidate as residents line up to submit their early vote on Aug. 1, 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
Voters outside polling stations in the Democrat-leaning Shelby County, where Memphis is located, voiced concerns about crime, the cost of living, and job opportunities. Many only spoke on condition of remaining anonymous.
“We need someone who will help our kids and bring more jobs out here,” a Democratic voter in Memphis said.
Over 200 miles away, residents in the Republican-leaning Williamson County, just south of Nashville, said they want to slow growth, ease traffic congestion, and lower taxes.
Republican voter Angela Beaton, wearing a Monty Fritts for Governor shirt, said she wants lawmakers who will lower taxes.
“We are right on the border with Nashville, and I have friends in Nashville that are getting taxed to death,” Beaton said.
A sign was placed outside the John P. Holt Brentwood Library in Brentwood, Tenn., on the first day of early voting on July 17, 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
The cost of living rose in the Nashville area after the population rose by 4.6 percent between April 2020 and July 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
When the Epoch Times asked voters their opinion on redistricting, some were shocked that their U.S. congressional seat was merged with a city hundreds of miles away.
“Wait, really?” one Republican voter in Williamson County asked when she realized how large the U.S. congressional district was. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Another Republican voter in Williamson County said, “It’s good” but declined to elaborate.
“It’s too large,” a Democrat voter in Williamson County said. “How can anybody represent the interest of everyone when they’re so different?”
Voters in Memphis echoed opposition to the new maps.
“I don’t like it because it cuts off the black voice,” Democrat voter Tim G. told the Epoch Times.
He added that voters in the area were “1,000 percent energized” to submit ballots after the U.S. House seat was remapped.
“Memphis is its own staple,” another female Democratic voter said. “We are better together.”
