Former City Council chair plans run to replace Brent Taylor’s state Senate seat

By , Daily Memphian Updated: November 06, 2026 3:44 PM CT | Published: November 06, 2026 3:22 PM CT

Brent Taylor, who narrowly defeated State Rep. Justin J. Pearson to win the recently redrawn 9th U.S. Congressional District, is headed to Washington, D.C., leaving his state senate seat vacant.

Topics

Kemp Conrad Brent Taylor Marsha Blackburn
Samuel Hardiman

Samuel Hardiman

Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.


Comments

Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.