Steve Cohen
DDefeatedIncumbentFEC H6TN09068
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Raised this cycle$785K
Cash on hand: $1.8M
2026 race
TN-09 — U.S. House
4 candidates on the November ballot. Incumbent: Steve Cohen.
Read the record. Not the rhetoric.
See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
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How we got here · 2 earlier contests
Democratic primary · Thursday, August 6, 2026
Called by audit: web-verified
Justin J. PearsonWon65.7%
- DLondon LamarDefeated24.3%
Republican primary · Thursday, August 6, 2026
Called by audit: web-verified
Brent TaylorWon46.0%
- RWilliam Todd WarnerDefeated26.3%
- RJeremy ThompsonDefeated20.0%
- RCharlotte BergmannDefeated
Currently held by
Steve Cohen (D) — not seeking re-election in 2026. They've publicly announced their retirement; their committee is still on the FEC's 2026 roster for routine compliance, but this is effectively an open seat.
Election held
Counting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Results appear here once a race is called and verified. Official returns from the Tennessee Secretary of State.
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$9.4M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Justin J. Pearson
DChallengerFEC H6TN09449
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Raised this cycle$4.0M
Cash on hand: $746K
Brent Taylor
RChallengerFEC H6TN09464
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Raised this cycle$2.8M
Cash on hand: $524K
Michelle Davis Head
IChallengerNo FEC filing
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Raised this cycle—
Cash on hand: —
Dennis Clark
IChallengerFEC H0TN09111
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Raised this cycle—
Cash on hand: —
5 defeated candidates — show
William Todd Warner
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6TN09472
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Raised this cycle$690K
Cash on hand: −$238K
Jeremy Thompson
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6TN09480
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Raised this cycle$248K
Cash on hand: $4K
James Torino
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6TN05355
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Raised this cycle$129K
Cash on hand: $3K
London Lamar
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6TN09498
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Raised this cycle$97K
Cash on hand: $3K
Charlotte Bergmann
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H0TN09061
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Raised this cycle$71K
Cash on hand: −$438
Local signal
Early read on TN-09 — U.S. House
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · the matchup
Recent news coverage of the nominees heading to the general election.
Justin J. Pearsonleans negative
0 pos6 neutral1 neg7 articles
Brent Taylorleans negative
0 pos2 neutral1 neg3 articles
A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Candidate fundraising: FEC reports through October 14, 2026 · 2025–26 cycle
Total disclosed
$9.4M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$8.9M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$533K
$513K for · $20K against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Justin J. Pearson(D) + TENNESSEE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS COALITION VOTES ACTION PAC $18K + INDIVISIBLE ACTION $15K + THE EQUITY ALLIANCE FUND ACTION PAC $3K | $4.0M | $36K | — | $4.0M |
Brent Taylor(R) + CONSERVATIVES FOR AMERICAN EXCELLENCE INC. $468K + CHARTER SCHOOLS ACTION PAC $6K + COURAGEOUS CONSERVATIVES PAC $3K | $2.8M | $477K | — | $3.3M |
Michelle Davis Head(I) | $0 | — | — | $0 |
Dennis Clark(I) | $0 | — | — | $0 |
6 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Cohen(D)incumbentdefeated | $785K | — | — | $785K |
William Todd Warner(R)defeated − SCHOOL FREEDOM FUND $20K | $690K | — | $20K | $669K |
Jeremy Thompson(R)defeated | $248K | — | — | $248K |
James Torino(D)defeated | $129K | — | — | $129K |
London Lamar(D)defeated | $97K | — | — | $97K |
Charlotte Bergmann(R)defeated | $71K | — | — | $71K |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside TN versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Justin J. Pearson(D)32% in-state · $1.1M itemized
$351K in-state$738K out-of-state
Brent Taylor(R)93% in-state · $463K itemized
$429K in-state$34K out-of-state
6 defeated candidates — show
Steve Cohen(D)defeated81% in-state · $322K itemized
$260K in-state$62K out-of-state
William Todd Warner(R)defeated100% in-state · $67K itemized
$67K in-state$250 out-of-state
Jeremy Thompson(R)defeated91% in-state · $220K itemized
$200K in-state$20K out-of-state
James Torino(D)defeated32% in-state · $16K itemized
$5K in-state$11K out-of-state
London Lamar(D)defeated79% in-state · $51K itemized
$40K in-state$11K out-of-state
Charlotte Bergmann(R)defeated92% in-state · $58K itemized
$54K in-state$5K out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Pearson | Taylor | Head | Clark | You |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Criminal Justice Federal minimum sentences for non-violent drug crimes should be reduced or eliminated. | — | ||||
Criminal Justice The federal government should send more money to local police departments. | — | ||||
Economy The federal minimum wage should be raised. | — | ||||
Economy Reducing the national debt should be a higher priority than new spending. | — | ||||
Education Federal Title IX protections should explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity. | — | ||||
Environment The government should set legally enforceable limits on greenhouse gas emissions. | — | ||||
Environment The government should stop subsidizing oil and gas companies. | — | ||||
Environment Federal permitting and subsidies for new nuclear power plants should be expanded. | — | ||||
Foreign Policy The U.S. should spend more on the military. | — | ||||
Healthcare The government should provide healthcare for everyone. | — | ||||
Immigration The U.S. should do more to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. | — | ||||
Labor Federal labor law should make it easier for workers to form unions (PRO Act-style reforms). | — | ||||
Taxes People making over $400,000 a year should pay higher taxes. | — | ||||
Veterans The VA should cover more veterans and more health conditions. | — |
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
Recent coverage
In the news
Justin J. Pearson
- In a Newly Drawn District, Black Voters May Get a Representative Who Spent Years Undermining Their InterestsProPublicaOct 26
- How progressive wins in Democratic primaries are shaping the midterm landscapeCBS NewsAug 19
- Chris Rabb warns of ‘great peril’ for Democrats if party ignores Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed and other progressive winsThe Philadelphia InquirerAug 7
- Trump-backed incumbent ousted in House primary as GOP redistricting push set to reshape TennesseeFox NewsAug 7
Brent Taylor
- We’ve Found the Midterm Elections’ Worst-Case Scenario for DemocracySlateOct 31
- In a Newly Drawn District, Black Voters May Get a Representative Who Spent Years Undermining Their InterestsProPublicaOct 26
- Memphis mom says Trump brought peace to streets as Democratic DA battles task force oversightFox NewsSep 17
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.