Republican Brent Taylor Claims Victory in Tennessee's Redrawn 9th Congressional District

Republican Brent Taylor Claims Victory in Tennessee’s Redrawn 9th Congressional District

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Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor declared victory Tuesday night in the race for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, claiming the seat with 111,968 votes—49.63% of the total—and a margin of roughly 2,500 votes over Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, according to final unofficial counts reported by the Tennessee Secretary of State.

The contest marked the first election under a map drawn months earlier specifically to flip the state’s last Democratic-leaning House seat, a district that had sent Democrats to Washington for more than 40 years and encompassed nearly all of Memphis until this year. With 111,968 votes representing 49.63% of the total, Taylor’s lead amounts to just over one percentage point in a district that nonpartisan analysts had rated as solidly Republican.

Taylor posted his victory claim on social media just after 11 p.m. “Thank you Middle and West Tennessee! I won’t let you down!” he wrote, Tennessee Lookout reported. But Pearson, 31, declined to concede, telling reporters that his campaign would wait for the race to be officially called and for every ballot to be counted. As of 11:55 p.m., the Associated Press had not yet called the race.

“At this point, we want everybody’s ballots to be counted,” Pearson said.

His campaign has not made a decision on whether it may appeal the results, and Pearson said he will continue to serve as a state representative for Memphis if the race does not land in his favor. “This is probably the most impressive race happening in the United States of America, for the simple fact that it was drawn so nothing near like this could be possible,” Pearson said, according to Yahoo. “I’m really excited about the fact that we’re going into these counties, we’re making inroads, we’re building relationships and connections that are going to outlast a single campaign. We’ve got a lot more work to do, and I’m just 31, so I’m ready to do it.”

Republican Brent Taylor Claims Victory in Tennessee's Redrawn 9th Congressional District
Photo: yahoo.com

A Map Built to Flip the Last Democratic Seat

Tennessee Republicans held a special session in May to redraw the 9th District after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a portion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais. The new map split Memphis across three districts, weakening Democratic voting strength in the majority-Black city. This followed the 2022 redistricting, when the state’s Republican supermajority split Davidson County into three districts, eliminating what had been the state’s last Democratic-leaning U.S. House seat.

The newly drawn L-shaped 9th District runs from Memphis airport along the southern border of rural West Tennessee, then extends north into Middle Tennessee to encompass part of affluent Williamson County, generally a Republican bastion. Nonpartisan election forecaster Cook Political Report rated the new district “Solid Republican” with a plus-9 lean—the weakest Republican advantage among Tennessee’s nine congressional districts.

Endorsements and Controversies

Taylor jumped into the contest for the redrawn district right away and secured backing from President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn. Pearson launched his campaign for the 9th District in October 2025, initially challenging longtime U.S. Rep. Steven Cohen, 77, who ended his campaign soon after, refusing to compete for any of the three gerrymandered Memphis seats.

Taylor’s bid encountered trouble in the final week before voting after the Nashville Scene reported claims that Taylor had sent unwanted nude photos to someone in 2021. Throughout the race, Taylor repeatedly called Pearson a Democratic Socialist, echoing rhetoric embraced by Republicans on the national level.

Pearson made national headlines in 2023 after Tennessee’s Republican supermajority expelled him from the Legislature for protesting gun violence on the state House floor. The Shelby County Commission quickly reappointed him to his seat, an ouster that vaulted him to national prominence and allowed him to raise money from donors throughout the country.

Where the Campaigns Diverge

The two campaigns disagree on whether the race is effectively over. Taylor treats the unofficial count as a win, thanking voters in Middle and West Tennessee for the victory. Pearson points to the fact that the Associated Press has not called the race and insists that every ballot must be counted before any concession.

Pearson also framed the contest as a test of whether a Democrat can compete in a district engineered against them, emphasizing the relationships his campaign built in rural counties that rarely see Democratic candidates.

Secretary Confirms Election Outcome

The Tennessee Secretary of State must certify the final results, and Pearson’s campaign has left open the possibility of an appeal. If the unofficial count stands, Taylor will represent a district that pairs parts of Memphis with rural West Tennessee and suburban Williamson County—a geographic configuration that did not exist before the May redistricting. Pearson, meanwhile, remains in the Tennessee House, where he has represented Memphis since his reappointment in 2023.

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