Redrawn Tennessee 9th congressional district pits Brent Taylor against Justin Pearson in race drawing national attention

What This Story Is About

• Republican Brent Taylor and Democrat Justin Pearson are both running to represent Tennessee’s 9th congressional district in the 2026 November general election.

Why It Matters

• This ballot matchup is more notable than any other race in Tennessee because of the profiles of the two main candidates running.

What Happens Next

• To vote in the November general election, Tennesseans must be registered to vote by Monday, October 5.
• Early voting begins Wednesday, October 14 and continues through Thursday, October 29. The general election is Tuesday, November 3.

For Context

• Tennessee’s general election includes multiple key races for governor, U.S. House and Senate and State House and Senate.

Catch Up

• Election 2026 voter guide: Key dates, deadlines and what you need to know for Tennessee’s November 3 general election

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Without question, this is the congressional race attracting the most national attention in Tennessee and across the country.

The new 9th district is a product of Tennessee’s 2026 redistricting and stretches across a huge swath of West and Middle Tennessee, including parts of Shelby, Williamson, Maury, Rutherford and other counties.

And what makes this ballot matchup more notable than any other race in Tennessee, is the profiles of the two main candidates running.

Republican Brent Taylor is a state senator and former Memphis City Council member. Democrat Justin Pearson is a state representative from Memphis, who became nationally known as part of the “Tennessee Three” during the 2023 fight over gun-control protests at the state Capitol.

Pearson gives state Democrats a candidate with huge name recognition. That could energize base voters, increase Democratic turnout and sway independent voters who are new to Tennessee.

Taylor, meanwhile, brings extensive local and state-level political experience, with the backing of the Williamson County Republican establishment that can bring large sums of money to a race like this one.

But the wild card in this race may be the district itself.

That’s because the newly drawn congressional lines dramatically changed the electorate here. So now, voters who had never cast a ballot in the old 9th are part of the district, meaning both campaigns have had to spend time and money, introducing themselves to large numbers of voters who may have little history with either candidate.

That makes election night returns especially important. Watch where the vote comes from, particularly the Memphis portion versus the Middle Tennessee counties, and whether either candidate can turn out voters in the newly configured portions of the district.

To vote in the November general election, Tennesseans must be registered to vote by Monday, October 5.

Early voting begins Wednesday, October 14 and continues through Thursday, October 29. The general election is Tuesday, November 3.