Pierson was born in Kansas to a white mother and a black father. Her mother gave birth to her at 15 and initially gave her up for adoption, but changed her mind. She grew up with her single mother, in poverty. In 1997, at 20, Pierson was arrested for shoplifting, to which she pleaded no contest, received deferred adjudication, and, ultimately, a dismissal with the case sealed. She reportedly took $168 in merchandise from a J. C. Penney store in Plano, Texas. She had her 3-month-old son with her at the time. Pierson told authorities she needed the clothes for job interviews. She has said that the incident helped her turn her life around, showing her that mistakes often come with consequences. Pierson received an associate of science degree from Kilgore College. In 2006, she earned a Bachelor's in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Pierson voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. However, Pierson began shifting rightward because Obama did not wear an American flag on his lapel. She became an activist in the Tea Party movement in 2009. Speaking in April 2009 at a Dallas Tea Party event, she called for Texas to secede from the U.S. She founded a local Tea Party group in Garland, Texas. In 2012, Pierson actively supported Ted Cruz in the 2012 Senate race in Texas and appeared on stage with him on election night in November.
2014 Texas Congressional race
In the 2014 Texas congressional elections, Pierson challenged incumbent congressman Pete Sessions in the Republican primary to represent Texas' 32nd district. Her candidacy was endorsed by Rafael Cruz and by Sarah Palin, who called her "a feisty fighter for freedom." While U.S. senator Ted Cruz offered praise, calling her an "utterly fearless principled conservative," he stopped short of an endorsement. In January 2014, Pierson broadcast a campaign ad in which she quipped "President Obama says ‘I wouldn’t let my son play pro football.’ That’s weird. I wouldn’t let my son add $7 trillion to the national debt." The Independent Journal Review dubbed it "one of the sassiest ads ever." By mid-February 2014, Pierson had received only $76,000 in campaign contributions; Sessions had received almost twenty times more. In the March primary, Pierson received 36 percent of the vote, losing to Sessions, who received 63 percent. Pierson went on to become spokesperson for the Tea Party leadership fund.
Trump 2016
In January 2015, Pierson attended a meeting for Tea Party activists in Myrtle Beach with Ted Cruz. While in Myrtle Beach, she also met with Donald Trump. After meeting with Trump or his aides a few more times, Pierson introduced Trump at a campaign rally held in Dallas in September. In November 2015 she was hired as the national spokesperson for Trump's campaign, subsequently appearing frequently on television in that capacity, often being seen as one of Trump's staunchest defenders amidst controversial comments.
