"Tennessee Three" member Justin Pearson runs to oust Rep. Steve Cohen

Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who rose to national prominence in 2023 when he was expelled from his legislative seat as one of the "Tennessee Three," is launching a primary challenge against Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).Why it matters: Pearson's national profile could make him a formidable opponent to Cohen. He is running with the support of Justice Democrats, a progressive group known for targeting longtime incumbents.Pearson, 30, is the latest young Democrat looking to unseat an older incumbent Democrat as a debate over generational change roils the party. Cohen is 76.Justice Democrats helped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other high-profile members of the progressive "Squad" win their seats in Congress.What they're saying: "Steve Cohen has served his district for 20 years in Congress … I'm grateful for his service," Pearson told Axios. "I'm running for Congress because politics and government have changed a lot in 20 years, and we need a new voice, a new vision, a new perspective."The other side: Cohen told Axios earlier this year that he was "not worried" about a primary challenge and that it would "be a mistake for somebody to run against me.""Whoever succeeds me will probably ... be somebody whom I choose to endorse," he said.Cohen is one of dozens of House Democrats in their 70s and 80s refusing to yield to demands by the party's grassroots to step aside in favor of a younger generation of leaders.Between the lines: Cohen, who is Jewish, has drawn the ire of many on the left for his support of Israel amid its ongoing war effort in Gaza.He left the Congressional Progressive Caucus last year after 17 years of membership, telling Axios he objected to a rule requiring members to vote with the group a certain amount of the time."I'm not a person who likes to be confined by somebody else's rules for membership," Cohen said. His departure coincided with a raft of difficult House votes on Israel.Pearson told Axios that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is committing genocide against the people in Palestine."Catch up quick: Pearson was thrown out of, and later reinstated to, his seat in Tennessee's state legislature in 2023 after participating in a gun control protest on the state House floor following a school shooting in Nashville.The expulsion catapulted Pearson and state Reps. Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson to national prominence as Democrats across the country raged at what they called overreach by Tennessee Republicans.The three met with then-President Biden at the White House.Zoom in: Liberal activist David Hogg's political group, Leaders We Deserve, also endorsed Pearson on Wednesday and pledged to spend $1 million on his primary race.Pearson's strong brand among liberals in Memphis and nationally could help him build the kind of grassroots fundraising operation many insurgent primary candidates lack.Rather than endorsing a wide swath of primary insurgents this cycle, Justice Democrats is focusing on a small number of credible challengers to whom it can offer substantial financial resources.The big picture: As polls show the Democratic base frustrated with their party's leaders, progressive organizations see an opening next year to oust longtime Democratic incumbents in safe-blue seats and replace them with more liberal candidates. Pearson is the third challenger to an incumbent Democrat that Justice Democrats has endorsed in the 2026 midterm cycle.The group is backing Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney against Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) and Angela Gonzales-Torres against Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.)

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