Each cell paraphrases what the candidate says they will do, from their own campaign materials, questionnaires, or interviews. Rows are shared issue categories; only categories at least one candidate addressed are shown.
Issue
Brent Taylor Republican
Justin J. Pearson Democratic
Economy & jobs
No stated position
Create a federal jobs program guaranteeing a job for every American, make the minimum wage a living wage with support for small businesses, and pass the PRO Act to protect workers' right to organize.[1]
Taxes & spending
Cut wasteful federal programs and fraud, oppose large omnibus spending bills, and let families keep more of what they earn.[2]
Make billionaires and large corporations pay their fair share.[1]
Cost of living & housing
Bring inflation under control and lower the cost of living through cuts to federal spending and regulations.[2]
No stated position
Education
No stated position
Fully fund public education and rein in school voucher programs.[1]
Health care
No stated position
Pass Medicare for All and invest in rural hospitals and the Veterans Affairs health care system.[1][3]
Public safety & justice
Seek more federal resources for police recruitment and retention, long sentences for repeat violent offenders, limits on early release, and a crackdown on gangs and fentanyl traffickers.[2]
No stated position
Immigration
Finish the border wall, deport immigrants in the country illegally who have committed crimes, end sanctuary policies, and strengthen cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement.[2][4]
No stated position
Infrastructure & energy
Expand domestic oil, natural gas, and nuclear power to lower energy costs and improve national security.[2]
No stated position
Environment & land
No stated position
Pause construction of hyperscale data centers until protections for health, the environment, and the economy are passed, including a national moratorium.[1][3]
Firearms
No stated position
Ban assault rifles and require background checks and cooling-off periods for firearm purchases.[1]
Government & elections
No stated position
Overturn Citizens United to reduce corporate money in politics and ban members of Congress from trading stocks.[1]
Agriculture & rural
Protect private property rights, support voluntary farmland preservation programs, require honest labeling of lab-grown meat, and lower production costs for farmers.[2]
No stated position
Military & veterans
Rebuild military readiness, modernize the armed forces, and strengthen the defense industrial base to deter China, Iran, and other adversaries.[2]
No stated position
Foreign policy & national security
No stated position
End the war in Iran, which he says has driven up gas prices.[5]
No published platform found (checked October 13, 2026) for: Dennis Clark, Michelle Davis Head.
Tennessee state senator for District 31, elected in 2022.[4][6]
Elected to the Memphis City Council in 1995 and served 12 years.[7]
Filled a vacancy on the Shelby County Commission on an interim basis and later served on the Shelby County Election Commission, including as chairman.[4][7]
Funeral director who built a Mid-South funeral home business and later sold it; earned a degree in mortuary science from Northwest Mississippi Community College.[7][8][9]
Why they're running
He says he is running to fight for the people of Middle and West Tennessee and to support the current administration's agenda in Congress, including border security, cuts to federal spending, expanded domestic energy production, and support for law enforcement.[2][10]
Platform
Taxes & spending
Cut wasteful federal programs and fraud, oppose large omnibus spending bills, and let families keep more of what they earn.[2]
Cost of living & housing
Bring inflation under control and lower the cost of living through cuts to federal spending and regulations.[2]
Public safety & justice
Seek more federal resources for police recruitment and retention, long sentences for repeat violent offenders, limits on early release, and a crackdown on gangs and fentanyl traffickers.[2]
Immigration
Finish the border wall, deport immigrants in the country illegally who have committed crimes, end sanctuary policies, and strengthen cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement.[2][4]
Infrastructure & energy
Expand domestic oil, natural gas, and nuclear power to lower energy costs and improve national security.[2]
Agriculture & rural
Protect private property rights, support voluntary farmland preservation programs, require honest labeling of lab-grown meat, and lower production costs for farmers.[2]
Military & veterans
Rebuild military readiness, modernize the armed forces, and strengthen the defense industrial base to deter China, Iran, and other adversaries.[2]
Arguments
Arguments for
As a state senator he has delivered results on public safety and immigration enforcement, including bail reform and a law requiring sheriffs to honor federal immigration detainers.[2][7]
The Memphis-area district has long been underserved in Congress, and he has been a strong voice for safer streets and tackling crime that has affected families across Shelby County.[10]
He has a record of cutting wasteful spending in the state Senate and would bring that approach to federal spending in Washington.[2][5]
He passed the only data center regulation of the legislative session, a measure that keeps data centers from driving up utility rates for other customers.[2][11]
Arguments against
The data center law he helped write has so many carve-outs that it fails to protect residents from gas turbines, heavy water use, and other harms of large data centers.[11]
He sponsored the state law that lets large data centers generate their own power with limited regulation, and he has taken more than $100,000 from data center companies.[11][12]
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives since winning a 2023 special election; reelected in 2024.[6]
Expelled from the Tennessee House in April 2023 after a gun-control protest on the House floor; reappointed by the Shelby County Commission days later.[6][13][14]
Co-founder of Memphis Community Against the Pipeline, which opposed the Byhalia Pipeline through South Memphis.[3][6]
Why they're running
He says he is running to make government work for working families rather than billionaires and corporations, and to make life more affordable by passing Medicare for All, raising wages, and lowering food, gas, housing, and energy costs. He also says he will push for a national moratorium on data centers until their effects can be studied and regulated.[3]
Platform
Economy & jobs
Create a federal jobs program guaranteeing a job for every American, make the minimum wage a living wage with support for small businesses, and pass the PRO Act to protect workers' right to organize.[1]
Taxes & spending
Make billionaires and large corporations pay their fair share.[1]
Education
Fully fund public education and rein in school voucher programs.[1]
Health care
Pass Medicare for All and invest in rural hospitals and the Veterans Affairs health care system.[1][3]
Environment & land
Pause construction of hyperscale data centers until protections for health, the environment, and the economy are passed, including a national moratorium.[1][3]
Firearms
Ban assault rifles and require background checks and cooling-off periods for firearm purchases.[1]
Government & elections
Overturn Citizens United to reduce corporate money in politics and ban members of Congress from trading stocks.[1]
Foreign policy & national security
End the war in Iran, which he says has driven up gas prices.[5]
Arguments
Arguments for
He has a record of organizing residents against pollution, leading the effort that stopped an oil pipeline in South Memphis and pushing for accountability from a large data center in his district.[3][6]
He rejects corporate PAC money, backs a ban on congressional stock trading, and is committed to removing undisclosed money from elections.[1][11]
He would be a congressman who listens, and he has visited all 15 counties in the new district more than once to meet voters face to face.[3][5]
Arguments against
He voted against the 2026 state data center law, which requires data centers that buy utility power to cover their own infrastructure-upgrade costs so other utility customers do not pay more.[11][15]
He has no private-sector or business-ownership experience, and his push for a $20 minimum wage would impose costs many businesses cannot afford.[5][16]
Dennis ClarkIndependent
Memphis
Facts
Ran as an independent candidate for the 9th Congressional District in 2020, 2022, and 2024.[6]
Why they're running
No stated reason found (checked October 13, 2026).
Platform
No published platform found (checked October 13, 2026).
Arguments
Arguments for
No published arguments found (checked October 13, 2026).
Arguments against
No published arguments found (checked October 13, 2026).
Michelle Davis HeadIndependent
Lewisburg
Why they're running
No stated reason found (checked October 13, 2026).
Platform
No published platform found (checked October 13, 2026).
Arguments
Arguments for
No published arguments found (checked October 13, 2026).
Arguments against
No published arguments found (checked October 13, 2026).
Sources (16)
Listed in numeric order. Numbers match the markers in the text above.