‘Tennessee Three’s’ Justin Pearson launches challenge against Democratic congressman

Justin Pearson raises his fist to acknowledge people in the gallery during a special session of the state legislature on public safety in Nashville, Tennessee, on 21 August 2023. Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

Justin Pearson, a Memphis state lawmaker who rose to prominence in 2023 as part of the “Tennessee Three” gun control advocates, on Wednesday launched a primary challenge against Democratic congressman Steve Cohen, joining a wave of younger candidates calling for generational change in the party.

“For too long, our district has been told to ‘keep going’ with the same leadership and the same outcomes, even as Memphis’s poverty rate at 22.6% is nearly double the rate for all Tennesseans,” Pearson, 30, said in a statement, announcing his candidacy. “We can’t afford more of the same.”