Justin Pearson, ‘Tennessee Three’ Democrat, to Run for Congress NYT | Top Stories Emily Cochrane 9 October 2025 at 00:36 Mr. Pearson, a member of the Tennessee General Assembly, was briefly expelled in 2023 after leading a gun control protest from the chamber floor. © Jon Cherry for The New York TimesState Representative Justin J. Pearson in Nashville in 2023. He announced on Wednesday that he would challenge U.S. Representative Steve Cohen, a fellow Memphis Democrat.