Tennessee Republicans May Have Given Democrats a Big Chance
Two lawmakers were kicked out of the state government, but it might help their party grow stronger.
Last week, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee kicked two Democratic lawmakers out of the state government. The Republicans thought this would punish the Democrats for breaking rules during a protest about gun safety. But now many people think this action might actually help the Democratic Party get stronger in Tennessee. Democrats are getting lots of money and support from people who are angry about what happened.
The two lawmakers who were removed are Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. They are both young Black men who just started their jobs in the government. A third lawmaker, Gloria Johnson, did the same protest but was not kicked out. All three were protesting for stronger gun safety laws after a school shooting.
Tennessee is a state where Republicans have much more power than Democrats. The Republican Party controls most of the government there. Democrats have been struggling to win elections for many years. The state also has one of the lowest numbers of people who vote in the whole country.
But something big happened after the two lawmakers were expelled. On that same day, 33,000 people called the Democratic Party office wanting to help. Nearly 10,000 people signed up to volunteer. Hundreds of people said they want to run for office themselves.
The protest was about gun safety, which is an important issue to many people. The three lawmakers spoke up during a government meeting when they weren't supposed to. Republican lawmakers said this broke the rules of proper behavior. They decided to vote the two men out of their jobs as punishment.
Many people think the Republicans made a mistake. Phil Bredesen used to be the governor of Tennessee. He was the last Democrat to win a big election in the state. He said the Republicans 'overreacted' to what happened.
The good news for Democrats is that both expelled lawmakers got their jobs back quickly. Jones returned on Tuesday after the Nashville city council voted to bring him back. More than 1,000 people marched with him to the state capitol building. When Jones returned, he thanked Republicans for 'awakening the people of this state.'
No expulsion, no attempt to silence us will stop us but only galvanize and strengthen our movement.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. How many Democratic lawmakers were kicked out of Tennessee's government?
2. What were the three lawmakers protesting about?
3. How many people called the Democratic Party office on the day the lawmakers were expelled?