U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Tuesday endorsed State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) in his campaign to become the Democratic Party nominee in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, which is currently represented by U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), who announced his retirement from Congress shortly after the Tennessee General Assembly redrew the district earlier this year.
Sanders’ endorsement was first reported by The Intercept, which reported the former Democratic presidential candidate shared his support for Pearson in a statement emailed to the publication.
“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,” Sanders said of Pearson, according to the outlet.
Responding to the endorsement, Pearson wrote in a post to X, “I am so proud to announce the endorsement of this champion for working class Americans, THE Senator Bernie Sanders!”
I am so proud to announce the endorsement of this champion for working class Americans, THE Senator Bernie Sanders! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/5i3UokQwYy
— Justin J. Pearson (@Justinjpearson) June 16, 2026
The endorsement from the U.S. senator comes after Pearson secured early support from the Justice Democrats, a progressive political action committee (PAC) launched by former Sanders staffers, and as Pearson continues to accrue progressive endorsements for his race in a district redrawn to be winnable for Republicans.
While Sanders appears to be Pearson’s first endorsement from the U.S. Senate, Pearson’s endorsers also include U.S. Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), and Ro Khanna (D-CA-17). All of these endorsers are members of the Congressional Progressives Caucus.
Pearson has also secured at least 12 endorsements from colleagues in the General Assembly, including former Democratic congressional candidate State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville), who represented her party in last year’s special election for the 7th Congressional District. She lost to U.S. Representative Matt Van Epps (R-TN-07).
In addition to Behn, he is also endorsed by Tennessee State Senator Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville), as well as State Representatives Shaundell Brooks (D-Hermitage), Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville), Bob Freeman (D-Nashville), Ronnie Glynn (D-Clarksville), Yusuf Hakeem (D-Chattanooga), Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville), Jason Powell (D-Nashville), and Joe Towns Jr. (D-Memphis).
After the 9th Congressional District was redrawn last month, Pearson additionally received a phone call from former Vice President Kamala Harris, who accused Tennessee Republicans of “backdooring racism” before appearing to describe his campaign as a “no-bad-ideas brainstorm.”
“They’re basically back dooring racism through politics. They know the power of the people and it scares them,” Harris told Pearson. “We need to have a playbook that is borne out of our ability to assume some risk, perhaps.”
The former vice president told the Tennessee Democrat, “I’ve been thinking about, you know, we need to have, basically, a no-bad-ideas brainstorm. That’s how I’m thinking about it. Like a good, old fashioned, no-bad-ideas brainstorm.”
Stopping short of an endorsement, Harris concluded by telling Pearson, “Your fight is for America, and for everything that we say we stand for.”
With Cohen not seeking reelection, Pearson’s strongest competition for the Democratic nomination during the August 6 primary election appears to be State Senator London Lamar (D-Memphis), who submitted paperwork for her candidacy after the district was redrawn.
Republicans in the redrawn 9th Congressional District are poised to choose between State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill), and Charlotte Bergmann.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Justin Peason” by Justin Pearson.
This is tantamount to a Christian supporting a Muslim in an Israeli election. Deportation Force.
Now there’s a pair. How did we get stuck with them?!!
I don’t think an endorsement from Bernie Sanders is worth anything in Tennessee.
What a joke!