Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson attends the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on August 22, 2024. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/File

One of three Tennessee lawmakers who drew national attention in 2023 when Republicans in the state Legislature moved to expel them following a gun control protest is running for Congress, he announced Wednesday.

Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson went to a Memphis park near the neighborhood where he grew up to announce that he will challenge longtime Democratic congressman Steve Cohen to represent the majority-Black city in 2026. The winner likely would have a clear path to represent the state’s 9th Congressional District, the state’s only jurisdiction that leans Democratic under congressional lines drawn by Republicans.

Pearson is 30 and C

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