They Gerrymandered His District Away in Three Days. He is Still Running

“This has been a very chaotic and opaque process. A lot of people know that something is going on, but too few really know the consequences of what it means for them,” he explained.

Pearson, who continues to receive endorsements from progressive lawmakers nationwide, has called for more political investment in the South from the national establishment.

“What it cost some folks to run for Congress in California would be the cost of a strong gubernatorial race in Mississippi or Tennessee. We just have not seen the value being placed on the South that is necessary,” he said. 

That dynamic has also played out within the South, where Democratic candidates have found themselves competing against one another amid the redistricting battle. Pearson is facing state Sen. London Lamar, who was endorsed by retiring Rep. Steve Cohen.

Still, Pearson and his team say they are returning to the fundamentals of campaigning: knocking on doors, holding community events, planting yard signs, and speaking to voters about what’s happened to their district. He said he’s confident about his chances of winning the district, old map or new, because the issues facing voters did not disappear when Republicans remade the political terrain.