Cohen gives ‘Yellow Dog’ endorsement of Pearson as Election Day nears
Civil Rights attorney Walter Bailey (left) and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (right) say the Nov. 3 election is about whether the U.S. will return to the era of racial segregation and Jim Crow policies. (Samuel Hardiman/The Daily Memphian)
Cohen and Pearson tension remains despite endorsement.
Jerri Green votes as Marsha Blackburn returns to culture war rhetoric.
Charlie Hatcher talks Memphis Safe Task Force as he and Chaz Molder meet in Spring Hill.
And Mayor Paul Young talks violence intervention without mentioning the Task Force.
In his waning political days, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen sat on a stump under a tree in his Midtown front yard and urged Memphians to vote for Democratic candidates.
But he also contrasted himself with a one-time rival and former intern, state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, who he ultimately didn’t face in the August primary because a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed the Tennessee General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
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Topics
2026 elections 2026 Congressional races 2026 Governor's race Steve Cohen Justin J. Pearson Walter Bailey Jerri Green Marsha Blackburn Charlie Hatcher Chaz Molder Memphis Safe Task Force Paul Young violence intervention Cities United Thomas Abt Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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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.
Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
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