Progressive rising star mounts challenge against longtime House Democrat

State Rep. Justin Pearson, the Memphis lawmaker who rose to prominence in 2023 as part of the “Tennessee Three,” announced Wednesday that he is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, joining a wave of young progressives. call for generational change inside the party.

In his launch videoPearson described himself as a “Memphisian, born and raised, who understands how to build bridges across race, identity, ethnicity and generations to build the future we want to live in.”

“We always stand up against those who try to silence us, to push us to the periphery, to push us to the bottom, to the places that should represent us,” he added. “Now I’m ready to fight for us in the U.S. Congress.”

The challenge marks the latest sticking point between young activists and longtime incumbents. Pearson, 30, is still a newcomer with deep roots in the Memphis organization, while Cohen, 76, has represented the city since 2007.

Pearson said The New York Times he frames the race not around age, but around urgency — arguing that Memphis needs bolder leadership at a time when President Donald Trump has federal agents dispatched and is now I send National Guard troops to fight crime in the city.

“It’s about us being able to fight for our families, for our values, for our future, at this very moment,” he said.

Pearson became a national figure after him and fellow legislator Justin Jones were expelled by Tennessee’s GOP-dominated legislature in 2023 for joining anti-gun control protests in the House. Both were reinstated days later, while their colleague, state Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, narrowly survived her own expulsion vote. The trio became known as the “Tennessee Three,” raising hundreds of thousands of dollars from supporters across the country. Johnson later ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate.

Cohen’s seat, Tennessee’s 9th congressional district, is safely democratmeaning the August primary will almost certainly decide the winner. The congressman, a member of the House Progressive Caucus and Tennessee’s only Democratic representative in Washington, has already said he intends to run again.

Last fall, Cohen told Axios he was “not worried” about a major challenge, calling anyone running against him a “mistake.”

Pearson’s launch video draws on her activist roots and message of inclusion.

“You can’t spell us without you,” he said.

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The son of a teacher and a pastor, he began organizing in high school, lobbying his district for new textbooks. He later led a popular campaign against a proposed oil pipeline that would have passed through historic black neighborhoods in Memphis – a fight that attracted support by Al Gore and Justin Timberlake, and ended in victory.

Now, according to The guardianPearson is running on a progressive platform that includes a plan to lower health care costs, make housing more affordable and strengthen gun laws. But his central message is clear: Democrats cannot continue to do politics in the same way.

He also attacks billionaire tech titan Elon Musk’s plan to build a massive xAI. supercomputer complex in southwest Memphisas well as the federal task force sent by Trump to the city. Cohen opposed deploying the National Guard but expressed support for helping local police reduce violent crime.

Pearson’s campaign has the support of The leaders we deservethe youth-focused PAC, co-founded by gun control activist David Hogg, who has pledged to spend $1 million to help unseat Cohen — the group’s largest investment to date, according to NBC News.

“Justin Pearson is a transformational leader who can inspire a new generation,” Hogg said, urging Cohen to “pass the torch.”

He also has the support of Justice Democrats, the group that powered New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s victory in 2018.

“This district does not have time to wait or continue with the same status quo that has governed for decades,” Alexandra Rojas, the group’s executive director, said in a statement to the Times and other media outlets.

These groups are coming together as part of a larger movement of young candidates hoping to bring down the Democratic Party’s old guard. Some longtime lawmakers, like New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, have already announced plans to retire to make room for the next generation.

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As this movement gains momentum, Pearson’s campaign is testing whether the Democratic establishment is ready to hand over the reins or whether another fight for the future is about to begin.