How Tennessee Republicans turned gun control lawmakers into Democratic heroes

When Republicans in the Tennessee House of Representatives voted last week to expel two of the three Democratic lawmakers who had participated in a gun control protest following the mass shooting at the Covenant School outside Nashville, they cited the "disorder and dishonor" the trio had brought "through their individual and collective actions" as justification for the move. 

The expulsion, described by the local press as "unprecedented" and "unusual" for its blatant partisanship, was the "swift political action ... that the 71 percent of Americans who want stricter gun laws can only dream of happening," noted UNC-Chapel Hill professor Tressie McMillan Cottom. But in that swiftness, the same GOP house supermajority that succeeded in ousting its minority colleagues may have overplayed its political hand, and created a new and potent focal point around which Democrats both in-state and nationally have rallied. 

Reinstatement and recriminations  

Less than a week after his expulsion from the state House, Nashville area Rep. Justin Jones returned to his same seat in that same chamber, having been unanimously approved by the Nashville Metropolitan Council to serve in an interim capacity until a special election is held to formally fill the position he formerly — and now currently — occupies. Shortly thereafter, Rep. Justin Pearson was returned to his seat under similar conditions by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. With this, the practical outcome of the GOP's expulsion votes has essentially been nullified. While Republican lawmakers maintain a House supermajority, the Democratic minority has not only not lost any seats (a third lawmaker set for expulsion, Rep. Gloria Johnson, survived her attempted ouster, and argued the fact that she is white while Jones and Pearson are Black is a possible explanation) but have not even shuffled their personnel as a result of the Republican effort. 

That Tennessee House Republicans expended all that effort only to maintain the status quo is, according to Politico's Natalie Allison, an indictment of the condition the state GOP finds itself in more broadly. "For those who have closely watched the chamber in recent years, the events were of little surprise," Allison, a former reporter for the Tennessean, opined, later noting that "the current era of the Tennessee legislature has been defined by a non-stop stream of befuddling scandals and unforced errors by a Republican supermajority that is seemingly insulated from being punished for them."

The decision to oust Pearson and Jones has ultimately only refocused national attention on a state party now facing additional uncomfortable scrutiny as a result. As Vanity Fair's Molly Jong-Fast pointed out, the timing — and optics thereof — couldn't be worse for local conservatives, either. "This coming weekend GOP donors will be in Tennessee for a donor retreat," she noted. "Rich Republicans descending on a city in the aftermath of two young politicians of color getting removed from office paints a pretty stark contrast between two parties." 

'Political megastars'

Jones and Pearson, meanwhile, have been the apparent beneficiaries of the intensified focus on local Republicans. After his reinstatement vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council, Jones was reportedly mobbed by more than a thousand supporters chanting "This is what democracy looks like" as he walked from the council chambers to the capital building. Speaking with The Washington Post, former Democratic state Rep. and current state Sen. London Lamar pointed out that "in an attempt to be malicious, [Republicans] have now created two political megastars who have now made history."

To that point, Jones and Pearson have become national figures, fielding interviews from Sunday morning talk shows like ABC's This Week and NBC's Meet the Press, where Jones vowed to "continue to fight for our constituents." The pair, along with Johnson, has been dubbed the "Tennessee Three" and have also met with Vice President Kamala Harris, spoken over video with President Biden, and reportedly been invited to the White House in the future. 

Various other national Democratic figures, such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) have also lauded the three as symbols of the ongoing fight for gun control legislation, and victims of an ascendant far-right wing of American politics. "It's put into perspective what we've been saying to people for so long. Tennessee has gone unnoticed and under the radar," state Democratic party chairman Hendrell Remus told The Daily Beast. "I'm glad the nation is watching this moment. Hopefully it helps to pump the brakes on this being a reckless road map for Republicans to use in other states."

For now, however, Jones and Pearson both appear focused on their districts and their jobs, promising to not only serve in an interim position but run for a full term when their seats are officially opened in a special election in the future. And regardless of his electoral future, "I will continue to fight with and for our people, whether in or out of office," Pearson promised in a New York Times essay published the day of his council vote. "We and the young protesters are the future of a new Tennessee. Those who seek to silence us will not have the final say."