Tennessee GOP Tried to Stem Tide of Progress—Instead, They Unleashed a Tsunami

Across the country, the illogical priorities of the right have become more and more glaring. And nowhere is this worse than in Tennessee, where conservatives have banned books and drag shows but have done nothing to protect kids from what is now their most likely cause of death: gun violence. Instead of addressing this crisis, after the mass shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville on March 27, the Republican-led legislature expelled from its chamber two Black freshman Democrats in their twenties—Representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones—for daring to demand common-sense gun control.

That this was a partisan act, a racist act and an antidemocratic act is undeniable. But it was also a desperate and ultimately futile act, one that could lead to positive change in the future.

Nothing could be more revealing of the fragility of the GOP than these expulsions. Republican legislators could have engaged with Pearson and Jones on the issues, but instead they chose to deploy the one weapon at their disposal: a House supermajority that would do their bidding. It was a battle they won in a contest they’re increasingly losing with the wider public.

The Republican Party, today, is swimming against the current on climate change, voting rights, racial equity, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights and, of course, gun safety. It’s infuriating that Tennessee’s legislature has refused to curtail access to firearms, even in light of the state’s high rate of gun violence, agony over the Covenant School shooting and recent polls that show state residents want more safety measures. The unpopularity of this position couldn’t be more clear—hundreds of protestors have flooded the Capitol building to demand action.

The young lawmakers will be back, and behind them will be an entire cohort of passionate young progressives.

But Tennessee is not alone. The same motive driving the state’s conservative lawmakers to resist change is also driving gerrymandering in Wisconsin, Republican efforts to pack the courts, voter suppression laws from Idaho to Georgia and a stubborn adherence to the Big Lie. That motive is fear, because the conservative power structure that held sway for so long knows its days are numbered.

Unlike past generations, millennials are not becoming more conservative as they age. Why? We millennials and Gen Zers have watched our elders invade Iraq, crash the economy, deny climate change and elect Donald Trump as president of the United States. Now, we’re living with the aftermath of Roe v. Wade’s repeal and are demanding an alternative path and different leaders.

There is now an international spotlight on Jones and Pearson and their courage. Civil rights organizations are rallying at their side. While Jones has already been reinstated by county officials (and it’s likely that Pearson will soon be readmitted as well), both will need to run in special elections later this year to fully regain their seats.

Their ouster is a classic Pyrrhic victory for Tennessee Republicans. The short-term “win” of expelling Reps. Jones and Pearson is overshadowed by the scorn they’ve brought on their conservative clique. The young lawmakers will be back, and behind them will be an entire cohort of passionate young progressives that are now fired up and galvanized.

And that’s why we have so much hope today. Our call now, whether we are young or not, is to do all we can to hold the line on our democracy until this rising generation fully takes the reins. Represenatative Gloria Johnson, the white lawmaker who stood with Pearson and Jones in their protest of gun violence but was not expelled, is a model for this solidarity. We commend her.

The Tennessee legislature thought it could stem the tide of change. Instead, it may have turned that tide into a tsunami.