Taylor and Pearson advance in redrawn Tennessee House district

Tennessee voters chose Trump-backed Republican Brent Taylor and Democrat Justin Pearson to compete for a heavily redrawn Memphis-area U.S. House seat that could help determine whether Republicans keep their narrow House majority in November’s midterm elections.

Thursday’s primaries were the first test of Tennessee’s new congressional map, approved in May after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters. The changes split apart what had been the state’s only majority-Black congressional district, long centered on Memphis and considered a Democratic stronghold.

Taylor, a state senator, won the Republican nomination in the revamped 9th Congressional District. Pearson, a state representative, won the Democratic primary. Pearson gained national attention in 2023 when he was expelled from the Tennessee House for protesting in support of gun control measures, then was reelected by voters.

The new 9th District now stretches about 200 miles east from Memphis across rural areas before reaching north toward Nashville. It previously favored Democrats but now tilts Republican, with 71% of voters new to the district, according to an Associated Press estimate. Some Memphis voters have said the changes diminished their representation.

In a victory speech, Pearson noted that Thursday marked 61 years since the Voting Rights Act was signed and criticized the new map. “It’s a blatant attempt to keep people like us out of power and an attempt to make us quit. But tonight, we’re one step closer to Washington, DC,” he said.

Republicans already hold eight of Tennessee’s nine U.S. House seats and are seeking a clean sweep in November. President Donald Trump has supported redistricting efforts in Republican-led states as part of a broader push to preserve GOP control of the House.

The redistricting also reshaped the 5th Congressional District, where former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, despite Trump’s early endorsement of Ogles. Hatcher, who served under Republican Gov. Bill Lee and was endorsed by him, campaigned as pro-Trump while emphasizing his farming background.

“Think what President Trump could do if our congressman spent less time talking and more time doing,” Hatcher’s campaign website said.

Ogles, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, had faced scrutiny over campaign finance reporting. The FBI seized his cellphone in 2024 as part of an investigation that began under the Biden administration; the Justice Department recently agreed to return the device, signaling it was abandoning the inquiry. Al Jazeera reported that Ogles also drew criticism for comments about Muslims, including a March social media post in which he wrote, “Muslims don’t belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie.” Hatcher will face Democrat Chaz Molder in November.

In the 6th Congressional District, state Rep. Johnny Garrett won the Republican primary for an open seat after Rep. John Rose chose to run for governor instead of seeking reelection. Garrett defeated Van Hilleary, Rose’s recent chief of staff, and will face Navy veteran Mike Croley, who won a five-way Democratic primary.

In the governor’s race, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn defeated Rose for the Republican nomination to succeed Lee, who is barred by term limits from running again. Blackburn won her second six-year Senate term in 2024 and would have to give up that seat if elected governor. She will face Memphis City Council member Jerri Green, who won the Democratic primary. If elected, Blackburn would become Tennessee’s first female governor.

Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty won his primary without opposition and will face Democrat Marquita Bradshaw, an environmental and human rights activist, in November.