TENNESSEE — Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Justin Pearson for Congress, supporting Pearson's campaign for Tennessee's 9th Congressional District. Pearson, a Democratic representative in the Tennessee House of Representatives, announced his congressional campaign in October.

Pearson's congressional bid followed the withdrawal of Representative Steve Cohen from the 9th Congressional District race and the enactment of new district boundaries in Tennessee. Governor Bill Lee had convened a special legislative session to redraw congressional maps in the state. The new boundaries divided a majority-Black area around Memphis into three districts, which led to a federal lawsuit challenging the maps filed by Pearson, Cohen, two other candidates, four registered voters, and the Tennessee Democratic Party. The plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed this lawsuit last week.

Pearson's campaign has sought to position him as a progressive alternative. Senator Sanders stated, "As billionaires and Big Tech take more and more control over our lives and our government, we need leaders like Justin J. Pearson who have the experience and track record of standing up to the rich and power-hungry elites." Other organizations supporting Pearson include Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party, MoveOn, Sunrise Movement, Indivisible, and the IMEU Policy Project. Representatives Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Delia Ramirez, and Ro Khanna also endorsed Pearson.

Pearson conducted a listening tour in rural and Republican counties within the newly drawn district. He said voters included disaffected Republicans and fired-up Democrats.

Pearson has raised just under $2 million for his campaign, with the majority of contributions under $200. Other candidates in the Democratic primary for the Tennessee 9th Congressional District include State Senator London Lamar and Jim Torino, who previously worked as a healthcare company executive and has raised $117,000 for his campaign. M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams also filed to run but has not submitted Federal Election Commission reports.

Pearson participated in a protest march in May before a special legislative session on redistricting. Earlier, Tennessee House Republicans voted to expel Pearson and Justin Johnson from the chamber three years ago, though local officials reappointed both to the Tennessee House shortly after the vote. Pearson commented on the expulsions, stating: "A lot of people were really upset about the gerrymandered maps." He advocates for national policy changes, citing inaction at the state level. He said, "We need to have national gun safety laws passed, because states refuse to do it."