2 expelled Tennessee lawmakers vying to win back seats in Thursday special election 

Two Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled from the state Legislature earlier this year are vying to win back their seats in a special election Thursday.

Tennessee state Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) were expelled from the state Legislature in April after they participated in a protest against gun violence on the House floor.

They were each reinstated by local officials on an interim basis but now need to win their special elections to permanently retake their seats.

In the Nashville district, Jones is facing Republican candidate Laura Nelson, while Pearson is up against Independent candidate Jeff Johnston in Memphis.

According to campaign finance filings, the two lawmakers have raised more than $2 million combined for their special election campaigns.

Jones weighed in on former President Trump’s indictment just a day ahead of the special election, pointing out that Tennessee Republicans have called Jones a “lawbreaker.”

“The Tennessee Republican Party sent out negative mailers to my district calling me a ‘lawbreaker,’ but now the leading Republican presidential candidate faces three indictments and 78 felony charges. Awkward,” Jones posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Pearson has also made “justice” a cornerstone of his campaign.

“TOMORROW (August 3rd) is the General Election District 86!!!! ⁣⁣ We need you to cast a ballot for safer communities,” Pearson posted on X. “We need you to cast a ballot for a movement that is founded on inclusion and rooted in Justice! #Justin4Justice.”

It’s been just more than four months since the lawmakers initially lost their seats. The two lawmakers joined state Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) for a protest calling for more gun control on the House floor just days after a shooter opened fire on the Covenant School in Nashville, killing three children and three adults.

While Jones and Pearson — who are both Black — were expelled from the Legislature, Johnson survived her vote, which prompted leaders to point out the racial undertones of Jones’s and Pearson’s expulsion.

Since then, the lawmakers have been cast into the national spotlight as the “Tennessee Three.” President Biden met with the trio in April, telling them that the Republican efforts to expel them from office were “undemocratic.”

The Associated Press contributed.