Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who rose to national prominence in 2023 when he was expelled from his legislative seat as one of the "Tennessee Three," is launching a primary challenge against Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).
Why it matters: Pearson's national profile could make him a formidable opponent to Cohen. He is running with the support of Justice Democrats, a progressive group known for targeting longtime incumbents.
- Pearson, 30, is the latest young Democrat looking to unseat an older incumbent Democrat as a debate over generational change roils the party. Cohen is 76.
- Justice Democrats helped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other high-profile members of the progressive "Squad" win their seats in Congress.
What they're saying: "Steve Cohen has served his district for 20 years in Congress … I'm grateful for his service," Pearson told Axios.
- "I'm running for Congress because politics and government have changed a lot in 20 years, and we need a new voice, a new vision, a new perspective."
The other side: Cohen told Axios earlier this year that he was "not worried" about a primary challenge and that it would "be a mistake for somebody to run against me."
- He echoed that confidence in a phone interview on Wednesday, telling Axios: "Nobody who's run against me in the nine terms has won a precinct against me."
- Cohen is one of dozens of House Democrats in their 70s and 80s refusing to yield to demands by the party's grassroots to step aside in favor of a younger generation of leaders.
Between the lines: Cohen, who is Jewish, has drawn the ire of many on the left for his support of Israel amid its ongoing war effort in Gaza.
- He left the Congressional Progressive Caucus after 17 years of membership, telling Axios he objected to a rule requiring members to vote with the group a certain amount of the time and "didn't feel quite as comfortable there."
- "The Progressive Caucus seemed to be mostly young social democrats like Cori Bush ... it wasn't the same as it was when it was [Raúl] Grijalva Lynn [Woolsey]," Cohen said.
- Pearson told Axios that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is committing genocide against the people in Palestine."
Catch up quick: Pearson was thrown out of, and later reinstated to, his seat in Tennessee's state legislature in 2023 after participating in a gun control protest on the state House floor following a school shooting in Nashville.
- The expulsion catapulted Pearson and state Reps. Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson to national prominence as Democrats across the country raged at what they called overreach by Tennessee Republicans.
- The three met with then-President Biden at the White House.
Zoom in: Liberal activist David Hogg's political group, Leaders We Deserve, also endorsed Pearson on Wednesday and pledged to spend $1 million on his primary race.
- Pearson's strong brand among liberals in Memphis and nationally could help him build the kind of grassroots fundraising operation many insurgent primary candidates lack.
- Rather than endorsing a wide swath of primary insurgents this cycle, Justice Democrats is focusing on a small number of credible challengers to whom it can offer substantial financial resources.
The big picture: As polls show the Democratic base frustrated with their party's leaders, progressive organizations see an opening next year to oust longtime Democratic incumbents in safe-blue seats and replace them with more liberal candidates.
- Pearson is the third challenger to an incumbent Democrat that Justice Democrats has endorsed in the 2026 midterm cycle.
- The group is backing Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney against Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) and Angela Gonzales-Torres against Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.).
The bottom line: "There's a movie that I saw yesterday, I really enjoyed it, 'One Battle After Another,' and that's what having this district has been: One battle after another," Cohen told Axios on Wednesday.
- "It's a Black district, it's the second Blackest district in America ... I'm the only [white] person with a majority-minority district," he continued. "I've always had someone coming up thinking they can take advantage of peoples' racial interest."
- "The people of Memphis have not had that. They have supported me."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
