When three Democratic House members held an impromptu protest on the floor of the Tennessee General Assembly last April calling for gun reforms, Republican lawmakers skipped a more typical course of censure for a rule violation and moved quickly for expulsion, traditionally reserved for lawmakers convicted of crimes.
Expelling the two Black lawmakers, but not the white one, only intensified national criticism that not only had Tennessee's Republican supermajority become undemocratic, but also openly racist. Both Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and Justin Jones (D-Nashville) were sent back on an interim basis by their respective county commissions.
But on Thursday, both were reelected in their districts in a special election. Political analyst Otis Sanford says the whole incident only cemented Pearson's political standing here and possibly puts him in line for a Congressional run when U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen ends his long career in Washington.
In addition, Sanford discusses the recent news that Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn C.J. Davis has a salary higher than some of the largest police forces in the country.
