# Democrat runs in Trump stronghold after map redrawn

> Justin Pearson continues his bid in a gerrymandered Tennessee district Trump won by 21 points, now backed by national Democrats.
- Title: Democrat runs in Trump stronghold after map redrawn · TIME
- Summary: Justin Pearson continues his bid in a gerrymandered Tennessee district Trump won by 21 points, now backed by national Democrats. Democrats added Justin…
- Keywords: justin pearson, tennessee 9th district, brent taylor, dccc, gerrymandering, 2024 election, memphis, house race, news, world, Democrat, runs
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/10/08/Tennessee-Justin-Pearson-poll-election-gerrymandering-DCCC
- Author: Philip Wang
- Published: 2026-10-08T10:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: justin pearson, tennessee 9th district, brent taylor, dccc, gerrymandering, 2024 election, memphis, house race, news, world
## Pearson's original plan derailed
Democratic state representative Justin Pearson planned to challenge ten-term incumbent Steven Cohen in a majority-Black Memphis district. In May, Republicans redrew the map, splitting Memphis and combining it with fourteen rural counties.
## Trump won the new district by 21 points
Pearson now runs in a district Trump carried by more than twenty-one points in twenty twenty-four. He decided to continue his campaign despite the unfavorable map.

> We knew this was going to be a harder race after they rigged the maps. It has not deterred us at all.
## Democrats add Pearson to Red to Blue list
This week, the Democratic House campaign arm added Tennessee's ninth district to its Red to Blue list. Campaigns on the list receive organizational and funding support, staff resources, training, and strategic guidance.
## National trend favors Democrats
The Cook Political Report said in late September that House Democrats are on track to pick up five to fifteen seats. Though Cook rates Tennessee's ninth district as solid Republican, Democrats see potential for a broader blue wave.
## Polling shows a tight race
A recent poll sampling four hundred voters commissioned by a Democratic-aligned group found Pearson trailing Republican state Senator Brent Taylor by four percentage points. Little other public polling exists on the race.
## Pearson campaigns across all fifteen counties
Pearson says he has campaigned in all fifteen counties in the new district, holding three to four campaign events daily. He has conducted listening tours, road-to-victory rallies, meet and greets, fundraisers, and visited barber shops, beauty shops, and churches.
## Rural voters frustrated with Trump policies
Pearson says rural voters who previously voted for Trump are now canvassing for him. Farmers are frustrated by tariffs and beef import policies. Some spend one thousand dollars a day on machinery diesel fuel, which Pearson links to the Iran War.
## Pearson attacks Taylor's SpaceX ties
Pearson argues Taylor cannot be trusted to represent district voters. He highlighted donations Taylor accepted from Elon Musk's SpaceX. A subsidiary, SpaceXAI, seeks to build a massive data center in the Memphis area despite local environmental concerns.
## Key takeaway

Democrats added Justin Pearson's long-shot Tennessee congressional race to their Red to Blue list, betting he can win a district Trump carried by more than twenty-one points after Republican gerrymandering.