In District 9, Pearson leverages nonpartisan agenda to close gap with Taylor
State Rep. Justin J. Pearson is using opposition to data centers, including SpaceXAI's Colossus 1 near Memphis, as a central nonpartisan campaign issue in Tennessee's newly redrawn 9th Congressional District. Residents across the district cite concerns about water, air and noise pollution, while a state law passed by his Republican opponent restricts public funding for electrical infrastructure serving data centers.
State Rep. Justin J. Pearson is campaigning for Congress in Tennessee's heavily Republican 9th District by emphasizing opposition to data centers alongside gun safety and affordability. The issue resonates across the district's urban and rural communities, where voters surveyed by Hart Research opposed data center development by a 36-point margin and expressed concerns about water, air and noise pollution.
Pearson lives about three miles from Colossus 1, a Memphis-area data center built by Elon Musk's SpaceXAI, and has called for stopping what he described as toxic data centers. His Republican opponent, State Sen. Brent Taylor, supported Colossus 1 and backed legislation barring municipalities and utilities from paying for new electrical infrastructure serving data centers. Critics contend the law could allow unregulated gas-fired power plants, while Taylor has argued it makes data centers pay their own energy costs.