Justin J. Pearson
Justin J. Pearson launched his campaign for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District on October 8, 2025, declaring it “a campaign for The People.” A movement leader and Tennessee lawmaker, he rose to national prominence as part of the Tennessee Three, standing up for gun reform, and being overwhelmingly re-elected after expulsion. A lifelong organizer, he helped lead the victorious Byhalia Pipeline fight, shut down a cancer-causing sterilization plant and now challenges Elon Musk’s xAI data center. The second-youngest state legislator, Pearson is a national voice for justice, honored with the Truman Center’s 2024 Moral Courage Award. He’s running to bring that fight to Congress. Pearson is married to his partner in life and the struggle for justice Oceana R. Gilliam-Pearson.