The former Tennessee legislators who were ousted last week by the state’s Republican-led House of Representatives said on April 9 they would accept reappointments by their respective districts and will run in the special elections to fill their seats.
Justin Pearson, a Democrat who had represented Memphis, and Justin Jones, a Democrat who represented Nashville, appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” vowing to return as lawmakers and delivering harsh criticism of the Tennessee state legislature.
Pearson called it a “toxic work environment” and Jones said the House “is an institution filled with people who are more concerned about supporting the NRA and supporting the Second Amendment than it is protecting the First Amendment rights of children and teenagers to be able to come to the Capitol to advocate for gun violence prevention laws.”…