Rep. Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis) delivered remarks outside the Tennessee State Capitol after he was expelled over his role in a gun control protest in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in 2023.George Walker IV/AP
Tennessee Rep. Justin J. Pearson first caught national attention when he was expelled from the state’s House of Representatives after demonstrating in support of gun law reforms. Today, he’s the Democratic candidate for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District. It’s an area newly transformed by redrawn voting maps and sprawling data centers, putting Pearson at the center of some of the country’s biggest national fights.
“The litmus test for America’s future is what happens in the South,” Pearson tells host Al Letson. “And so we need to be paying attention to what’s going on here, because here is where the test cases for autocracy happen. Here is where the billionaires have their testing ground for what else can go on in other parts of the country.”
On this week’s More To The Story, Pearson talks about how redistricting has upended Tennessee and the many ways gun violence has become a deeply personal issue for him. He also looks back at the opposition to his 2023 demonstration for gun law reform, when he was dubbed part of “the Tennessee Three.”
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