Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who rose to national prominence after his expulsion from the state House over a gun control protest launched a bid for Congress on Wednesday, challenging longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen.
Pearson’s announcement is part of a larger trend of younger Democrats around the nation challenging older incumbents. Tennessee’s 9th District, which covers parts of Memphis and its surrounding suburbs, is a safe Democratic seat, so the primary next August will likely determine the district’s next House member.
“Now I am ready to fight for us in the United States Congress,” Pearson, 30, said in his campaign launch video. “The U.S. House of Representatives must be centered on us.”
