When a Supreme Court ruling sanctioned political gerrymandering earlier this year, the Tennessee legislature’s Republican super-majority went to work. District 9, which included most of Shelby County, was divided into three parts and spread across several counties between West and Middle Tennessee.
For the Memphians who fought the redistricting effort, the battle moved into the next stage: try to win the newly-drawn District 9 anyway.
Joining with other Tennesseans, Memphis residents knocked on doors, called their neighbors, gathered in joy and purpose — not just for a candidate, but also to assert their right to a fair election.
After more than 50 years of Democratic leadership, Republicans flipped District 9 on Tuesday, but it was hardly the comfortable victory they expected when they carved it into pieces.
The gerrymandered District 9 voted for Donald Trump by more than 20 points in 2024. But Brent Taylor eked out a win over Justin Pearson by only roughly 2,500 votes, fewer than the vote totals of the two independent candidates in the race. In Shelby County, Taylor walked away with less than 14% of the vote.
It remains to be seen what mandate Taylor believes his narrow victory has won him or how he will represent District 9 in Congress. He’ll be back on the ballot in 2028.
It is equally unclear what Pearson will do after his narrow loss, but his supporters have said this race was the beginning of a sustained effort to rebuild progressive power in Tennessee, not the end.
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism spent Election Day talking to voters across Memphis about District 9’s redistricting, and how they hoped their votes would create change.
Rhonda Gorton, 46, Downtown
Rhonda Gorton spent Election Day volunteering at the Election Day Hub in the National Civil Rights Museum, making phone calls, texting Memphians about the election and writing postcards thanking first-time voters. “I’m here because of all the changes in Tennessee with the redistricting,” she said. “I was somebody who didn’t vote in anything but presidential elections before this happened. And then it happened, and I was like, oh, no, not on my watch.”
She said that Memphis is fighting back against outsiders who have worked to control the city. Recent examples include the ongoing presence of federal agents with the Memphis Safe Task Force and the state’s proposal to seize control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
“If somebody tries to impose that on us, just watch out, because we will fight back with a passion,” she said. “I think that’s what we’re seeing — voter turnout is up this year, more than it has been in several years, so hopefully, hopefully, this is our year to make some changes.”
Yajaira Lopez, 25, Whitehaven
When asked what drove her to vote in the midterm election, her response was “just seeing how things are right now … it’s not good.”
Some of the biggest issues impacting her and her family have been immigration policing, the economy and the war in Iran, Lopez said. Her loved ones are afraid to leave the house because of Immigration Customs and Enforcement. “Even though we’re citizens, that doesn’t matter,” Lopez said.
She voted for Memphis Democrat Jerri Green to be the next governor of Tennessee. Green’s commitment to improve the cost of living is what gained Lopez’s support, she said.
“My parents couldn’t vote, so it’s up to me and my siblings to make the difference,” Lopez said. “Young people’s votes matter. One vote does make a difference.”
Darrin Moore, 30, Southeast Memphis
Darrin Moore cast his vote on Election Day at the Glenview Community Center. He said he’s concerned about healthcare access, food and gas prices, job opportunities, increasing wages and regulating data centers.
“Obviously, data centers are coming into the area,” he said. “I’m all for creating jobs, but I want to make sure we have regulations around those efforts to make sure that we are also caring about our local communities and keeping individuals in those communities safe.”
This election felt different from previous races, Moore said. “This election cycle really energized me quite a bit,” he said. “I was pretty amped up about getting out (and) encouraging more people to vote so that we can multiply the vote, so that we could hopefully see some change.”
Barbara Davis, 80, Whitehaven
Barbara Davis began her shift as a volunteer poll worker at 6 a.m. on Election Day at the Whitehaven Community Center. By 6 p.m., she said about 300 to 400 people had cast their ballots. Davis said she’d been volunteering as a poll worker in Whitehaven for the last four years.
Davis said the most important issue in this election is the health impacts from pollution caused by SpaceXSI. About a week ago, as she was driving in Whitehaven near the intersection of Shelby Drive and Millbranch Road, Davis noticed a billow of smoke in the air. She thought it was coming from the gas turbines powering the nearby data center. “The sky scared me so bad. I had to take a picture of it,” she said. “(Gas) just settled in the sky over the Whitehaven area, over Westwood. It just blackened the sky. We’re inhaling all this stuff.”
Several of her neighbors have been diagnosed with or have died from leukemia and breast cancer, Davis said. A neighbor who lived just one block away was just buried last Wednesday, she said. He died from cancer. “I’m getting scared living in that neighborhood. I’m serious,” Davis said.
Adriane Glover, 66, South Memphis
Adriane Glover had a busy day Tuesday, attending multiple events including the Election Day Hub at the National Civil Rights Museum. A lifelong Memphian, Glover said her parents and her family’s pastor growing up were always politically involved, and she often encourages those who are less engaged to vote and make their voices heard.
“I know that I can’t control everything, but … I just think that it should at least be voiced,” she said of voting. “I should say it, whether anybody hears it or not.”
As rain started to fall outside, Glover was one of the volunteers from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., putting stamps on thank you postcards to first-time voters. She said she often hears from skeptics who believe their vote doesn’t matter, and wanted to contribute to an effort to celebrate and encourage voter participation.
Veronica Baymon, 65, Whitehaven
As a lifetime voter, showing up for the midterm election was her duty and responsibility as a citizen, Veronica Baymon said. “The number of elections I’ve missed I can count on one hand,” she said.
She said her main concern was the protection of voting rights. “There’s a lot going on with Trump. All the disruption and upheaval … We are in a compromising situation.” Baymon said. Her hope is that the United States “stays strong with responsible people in office.”
To her, the state’s rush to redistrict and redraw congressional maps “felt like an attack on African Americans and our rights,” she said. She voted to help the youth and the next generation have a “good, firm foundation to build from,” Baymon said. She wants to see civic responsibility and community involvement taught in schools.
J-Lavender, 27, Midtown
J-Lavender came out to vote around 5 p.m. at Glenview Community Center on Tuesday before heading to an evening work shift. They expressed support for Pearson and the library workers’ referendum, and said their voting process was quick and easy.
“I actually got kind of nervous because I heard about other (voting) machines in different states malfunctioning, and people were complaining about not being able to select their Democrat nominee,” they said. “So I was a little nervous about that, but everything went smooth here, so everything was perfect.”
Cassandra Edwards, Whitehaven
As a mother of six children, Cassandra Edwards said she always talks to them about voting because “the Republican party is pushing agendas that don’t fit our needs,” she said. She showed up to cast her vote for Pearson. “It doesn’t feel like his agenda is political, but he’s focused on what the people want,” Edwards said.
For a long time, Black communities in Memphis have been treated like the “unwanted step-child of Tennessee,” she said. “Whitehaven citizens are just as important as people in Germantown.”
Top of mind for her and her family: yearslong neglect of the school system and crime. Of her six children, three are in college and of voting age. Edwards said she called them several times on election day to remind them to vote. “All it takes is one vote a million times to make a difference,” Edwards said.
Renee Farmer, Whitehaven
She walked in to vote with her husband and their son, a toddler, because this election is “more important than the presidential election,” Renee Farmer said. She voted in support of Constitutional Amendment 1, which would expand the list of offenses for which judges can deny bail. “Instead of a slap on the wrist,” people will actually stay in jail for the crimes they committed, she said. “Memphis needs to get back to the peaceful, beautiful place it once was.”
Lisa Graham, 58, and Judah Graham, 56, Whitehaven
Homelessness, businesses closing, expensive food and gas prices and rising healthcare costs are what drove Lisa Graham to vote in the midterm election. “I’m tired of being tired. I’m ready for a change,” she said. This year, the monthly premium for her health insurance doubled from about $100 a month to more than $200, she said. “It’s so heartbreaking” seeing other people suffer to afford rent and basic costs of living, Lisa said.
Lisa Graham and Judah Graham both smiled and nodded in unison when asked about which candidates they supported in the election. There was one person on their minds: Pearson. “I trust and believe that he really is for the people,” Judah said.
Judah said Pearson’s passion is what made him a standout candidate. “He took on the data centers,” Judah said. “That’s terrible that it’s here. It’s impacting so many people, taking up water, making people sick, kicking people out of their homes.”
Brittany Brown is the public safety reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at brittany.brown@mlk50.com
Andrea Morales is the creative director at MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at andrea.morales@mlk50.com
Natalie Wallington is the housing reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
This story is brought to you by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy in Memphis. Support independent journalism by making a tax-deductible donation today. MLK50 is also supported by these generous donors.
