CJ Pearson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
CJ Pearson
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Pearson in 2021
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| Born |
Coreco Ja'Quan Pearson
July 31, 2002 Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Alabama (dropped out) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Movement | Populism Conservatism |
Coreco Ja'Quan "CJ" Pearson (born July 31, 2002) is an American who is known for his work as a conservative activist and political commentator. He is also a political advisor and co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council.
Pearson was born in Augusta, Georgia, and grew up in the nearby town of Grovetown. He became interested in politics at age eight and started a blog to support local conservative politicians. He became famous as an internet personality in 2015. He uploaded a YouTube video defending comments made by former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. The video also criticized then-President Barack Obama and quickly became popular around the world.
After his video went viral, Pearson began a career as a freelance journalist. He has also helped with the campaigns of several Republican politicians. He was involved in the effort to challenge the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. Pearson describes himself as a populist, which means he supports ideas that are popular with ordinary people.
In January 2024, Pearson ran in a special election for the Georgia House of Representatives. He was defeated in a runoff election. He planned to run again in the regular election but later decided to withdraw from the race.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Coreco Ja'Quan Pearson was born on July 31, 2002, in Augusta, Georgia. His parents were registered with the Democratic Party. In 2012, his family moved to Grovetown, where he went to Columbia Middle School.
In seventh grade, he was elected student body president. However, he stepped down to start a political group called Young Georgians in Government. He graduated from Evans High School in May 2020. Pearson later attended the University of Alabama but left during his junior year. He lives with his grandparents.
Career in Politics
Getting Started in Activism
Pearson's interest in politics began in second grade during a mock presidential election for the 2008 United States presidential election. His class researched the candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. Pearson voted for McCain in the mock election because he was inspired by McCain's military service.
At age eight, he started a blog to support conservative politicians in Georgia. He also helped with the 2014 midterm elections by making phone calls and visiting homes for campaigns. After the election, he created the group Young Georgians in Government to get more young people involved in politics.
In February 2015, Pearson gained worldwide attention after posting a YouTube video called "President Obama: Do you really love America?" In the video, he defended former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and criticized President Obama. He said that if Obama truly loved America, he would take a stronger stand against the group known as ISIS.
Campaign Work
During the 2016 presidential election, Pearson supported several Republican candidates.
- In April 2015, he campaigned for Senator Rand Paul, saying Paul could connect with young voters.
- In September 2015, he switched to support Senator Ted Cruz. Cruz made him the national chairman of a group called "Teens for Ted."
- Two months later, Pearson left the Cruz campaign and said he was no longer a conservative. He then supported Bernie Sanders.
- After Sanders left the race, Pearson joined Donald Trump's campaign as the national chairman of "Teens for Trump."
In June 2020, Pearson helped raise $160,000 for Black-owned businesses in the Metro Atlanta area that were damaged during the George Floyd protests. In July 2020, he started his own nonprofit group called the Free Thinker Project. He also worked as the campaign manager for Vernon Jones during his run for governor of Georgia in 2022.
2020 Election Challenge
In the 2020 United States presidential election, Pearson was chosen by the Republican Party to be an elector for Georgia if Donald Trump won the state. After Joe Biden won the election, Pearson promoted claims of fraud.
Represented by lawyer Sidney Powell, Pearson sued Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in a case known as Pearson v. Kemp. The lawsuit tried to overturn the election results in Georgia. In December 2020, a federal court dismissed the lawsuit.
Running for Office
In January 2024, Pearson announced he was running for a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives in a special election. The election was held on February 13, and he came in second place.
Because no candidate got more than half the votes, a runoff election was held on March 12 between Pearson and the first-place candidate, Gary Richardson. Pearson lost the runoff election. He had planned to run again in the regular election in May but later withdrew his name from the race.
Writing
Pearson has written columns for several well-known publications, including TIME, The Huffington Post, MTV News, and The Daily Beast.
Political Views
Pearson's political views have changed over time. He first became known as a conservative after his viral YouTube video in 2015.
However, in November 2015, he announced that he was no longer a conservative and was questioning the Republican Party's ideas. In December 2015, he supported Bernie Sanders, who was running for the Democratic presidential nomination. He even wrote an article for MTV criticizing Donald Trump.
By August 2016, his views had changed again. He wrote an article for Time magazine supporting Trump. He said he supported both Sanders and Trump because he felt their campaigns were similar in some ways. Pearson now calls himself an anti-establishment populist, meaning he supports ideas that challenge traditional political leaders. He is a Christian and officially joined the Republican Party on his 18th birthday.
See also
- Black conservatism in the United States
- Jonathan Krohn – another young person who became known as a conservative activist
