MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor of Memphis declared victory late Tuesday in the race for the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District, but Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson has not conceded the tight contest.
Final unofficial counts from the Tennessee Secretary of State show Taylor with 111,968 votes, or 49.63%, about 2,500 more than Pearson, who drew 48.5%. Taylor posted his victory claim on social media shortly after 11 p.m.
Pearson said he wants every ballot counted before the race is called and that his campaign has not decided whether to challenge the outcome. If he falls short, he will keep his seat in the state House, where he represents part of Memphis.
The district looks nothing like the one that covered nearly all of Memphis and elected Democrats for more than four decades. Republican lawmakers redrew it in a May special session, splitting Memphis among three congressional districts. The new L-shaped seat runs from the Memphis airport across rural West Tennessee and into part of Williamson County, stretching roughly 200 miles from the city, and more than 70% of its voters are new to the district.
Longtime U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who held the seat for 19 years, dropped his reelection bid after Pearson entered the race in October 2025 and declined to run in any of the three new Memphis districts.
Taylor had the backing of Blackburn, the U.S. senator, and of President Donald Trump. Pearson, 31, became nationally known after GOP lawmakers ousted him from the Legislature in 2023 over a gun violence protest on the House floor, before the Shelby County Commission quickly sent him back.
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