Pamela Jeanine Moses

Current office and 2026 campaign

Pamela Jeanine "P." Moses is an independent candidate running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Tennessee's 8th Congressional District in the general election scheduled for November 3, 2026 ¹. She self-describes as a member of "Other" and has established the principal campaign committee "Committee to Elect Pamela Moses" to support her bid ²⁵. The committee reported total receipts of $5,945.00, consisting of individual contributions, other committee contributions, and candidate contributions ³.

Moses has outlined a platform centered on social justice, community empowerment, and criminal justice reform ⁵. Her stated policy priorities include comprehensive criminal justice reform that integrates economic opportunities for justice-impacted individuals, such as workforce development programs focused on skill building and entrepreneurship to reduce recidivism ⁶. She also advocates for the promotion of farmers' markets in underserved areas, increased mental health resources, and youth mentorship programs ⁵.

Her candidacy follows a previous run for the U.S. Senate in 2024, where she appeared on the ballot as an independent candidate alongside incumbent Marsha Blackburn and other contenders ¹⁵²². Moses has previously stated that she took steps to restore her voting rights in Tennessee, despite having been convicted of felonies including tampering with evidence and illegally registering to vote while on probation ⁷¹⁰. In 2022, a Shelby County judge granted her a new trial regarding the illegal voter registration charge after it was revealed that errors had occurred during her initial prosecution ²⁰.

Background and education

Pamela Moses was born in Kingsport, Tennessee ¹. She earned a high school diploma from Central Memphis High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in 2000, and a graduate degree from Union University in 2007 ¹.

Career

Pamela Moses earned a high school diploma from Central Memphis High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in 2000, and a graduate degree from Union University in 2007 ¹. She has identified herself as an organizer, musician, and human rights advocate ⁵. Moses founded the local chapter of Black Lives Matter in Memphis ⁷.

Moses has been involved in community activism focused on social justice and voting rights ⁴. In 2014, she pleaded guilty to charges including stalking a Shelby County judge, tampering with evidence, forgery, and perjury ¹³. She was placed on probation following these convictions ²³. During her time as an activist, Moses filed a defamation lawsuit against former Shelby County Commissioner Terry Roland, which resulted in a judicial ruling in her favor in 2019 ¹⁹.

In 2015, Moses ran for mayor of Memphis as a Democrat but was disqualified from the ballot due to prior felony convictions that rendered her ineligible to hold office ¹⁸. She later filed a lawsuit against the Shelby County Sheriff’s office regarding her detention, which was dismissed by the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 2017 based on statute of limitations issues ¹⁷.

In 2019, Moses attempted to register to vote while she was still serving probation for her 2015 convictions. She was subsequently convicted of illegally registering to vote and sentenced to six years and one day in prison in January 2022 ⁸. The conviction stemmed from the fact that she was ineligible to vote while on probation ⁹. A judge granted Moses a new trial later that year after new evidence regarding election officials' guidance was revealed ²⁰. Her felony conviction for illegal voter registration was eventually dismissed by the Shelby County District Attorney’s office in April 2022 ¹¹.

Office history

Pamela Moses served as a member of the Memphis City Council Democratic Executive Committee ⁵. She ran for Mayor of Memphis in 2019 but was determined ineligible to appear on the ballot due to prior felony convictions ¹⁸. In that same year, she also ran for Shelby County Commissioner but lost the general election ¹⁹.

Moses announced her candidacy for the United States Senate as an independent candidate in 2024 ¹⁴¹⁶. She was listed on the ballot for the November 2024 U.S. Senate race in Tennessee alongside other candidates ¹⁵.

Legislative record and accomplishments

Pamela Moses has not held elected legislative office and therefore has no legislative record of sponsored bills, votes, or committee assignments in the U.S. Congress or state legislature. Her political activities have primarily involved activism and independent candidacy for executive offices, including a run for Memphis mayor and campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House ¹.

In her 2026 campaign for Tennessee's 8th Congressional District, Moses self-describes as a champion for voting rights and social justice, advocating for comprehensive criminal justice reform that integrates economic opportunities for justice-impacted individuals ⁴⁶. Her policy platform, which she refers to as a "Seven Point Plan," includes legislation to create workforce development programs for formerly incarcerated people, focusing on skill development, education, and entrepreneurship to reduce recidivism ⁶. She also states that her agenda involves encouraging innovation, investing in mental health resources, funding youth mentorship programs, and promoting healthy food options in underserved areas ⁵⁶.

Moses identifies as an independent candidate running for the U.S. House, having previously sought petitions from both Republican and Democratic parties during her 2024 U.S. Senate bid before ultimately running as an independent ¹⁴¹⁶. She has not filed legislation in Congress; instead, she has utilized legal channels to challenge her criminal record, filing a lawsuit in 2022 claiming malicious prosecution by former Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich regarding her 2019 illegal voter registration conviction ¹⁰. The felony charge for which she was sentenced to prison was eventually dismissed by the Shelby County District Attorney's office in April 2022 ¹¹.

Documented disputes and controversies

Pamela Moses faced significant legal controversy after being convicted in November 2021 of illegally registering to vote in 2019 while on probation for prior felony convictions ⁸. In January 2022, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge W. Mark Ward sentenced her to six years and one day in prison, a term that legal experts described as baffling and excessive ⁹. The conviction stemmed from Moses filing documents to restore her voting rights while she was still serving probation on a 2015 conviction for tampering with evidence and forgery ¹².

Following the sentencing, Moses filed a lawsuit in October 2022 claiming malicious prosecution and false arrest by former Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, the State of Tennessee, and current District Attorney General Steve Mulroy ¹⁰. The suit alleged violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments regarding her conviction for illegally registering to vote ¹⁰. Prior to this legal action, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office had stated that Moses rejected an offer to plead guilty to a misdemeanor with no time served in exchange for avoiding a jury trial ¹¹.

In February 2022, a Memphis judge granted Moses a new trial after new evidence was revealed regarding errors by state agencies that had previously indicated she was eligible to vote ²⁰. Moses had stated that a Tennessee state agency provided written guidance confirming her eligibility, yet the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted her for following that guidance ²¹. The conviction and sentence attracted national attention, with reports highlighting the severity of the punishment for a voting rights error ²².

Moses has also been involved in public feuds with local officials. In 2019, she won a defamation suit against former Shelby County Commissioner Terry Roland, who had labeled her and other Black Lives Matter activists as "terrorists" during a 2017 county commission meeting ¹⁹. Additionally, Moses filed a lawsuit against Shelby County Sheriff Bill Oldham in 2017, which was dismissed by the Tennessee Court of Appeals based on the expiration of the statute of limitations ¹⁷.

Her legal history includes multiple prior convictions. In April 2015, she pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and forgery, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor counts of perjury, stalking, theft under $500, and escape ⁸. These charges were related to the harassment of General Sessions Judge Phyllis Gardner between February and March 2014, for which she had previously pleaded guilty to stalking ¹³. Moses lost her right to vote in Tennessee due to these felony convictions ⁷.

In the 2024 election cycle, Moses ran as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee ¹⁵. She formally announced her candidacy by turning in petitions to run as an independent while requesting acceptance on Republican and Democratic ballots ¹⁶. Her campaign platform included a seven-point plan focusing on criminal justice reform, economic development, and workforce programs for justice-impacted individuals ⁶.

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