Three Tennessee state House members – including two young, Black Democrats whose expulsion sparked a nationwide controversy in April – are seeking to retain their seats Thursday in special elections.
The two Democrats, Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, were thrown out of their seats in a move that effectively canceled out the votes of their tens of thousands of constituents. Their expulsions by the Republican majority, which cited breaches of decorum, came after the lawmakers had led a gun control protest from the statehouse floor in response to a Nashville school shooting that left three children and three adults dead. Their protest alongside state Rep. Gloria Johnson led to them being dubbed the “Tennessee Three.” Johnson, a White woman, also faced an expulsion vote, but was not ousted.
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