Tennessee’s special legislative elections features a huge upset in Nashville
04 August 2023
Democrat Justin Pearson erupts at Republicans ahead of vote to expel him from the Tennessee House
Three state representatives, including Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, were returned to their seats in Thursday’s special legislative elections while another election represented a shakeup.
Democrats Pearson and Jones both won reelection handily, Pearson beating independent candidate Jeff Johnston in Shelby County’s District 86 with 94% of the vote. In Nashville’s District 52, Jones won with 78% of the votes cast, defeating Republican Laura Nelson.
Voters in East Tennessee’s District 3 returned Rep. Matthew Hill to the General Assembly. Hill, who served in the legislature from 2012-2020, was appointed to fill the seat by the Johnson County Commission in May after former Rep. Scotty Campbell resigned in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. Democratic leaders predicted low turnout could help former labor leader Lori Love but Hill won with an overwhelming 75% of the votes cast.
Rep. Justin Pearson, photographed in the Cordell Hull Legislative Building in 2022 while speaking out on environmental issues in Memphis. (Photo: John Partipilo)
The race for House District 3, left vacant by the death of former Rep. Bill Beck in June, departed from conventional wisdom as progressive activist Aftyn Behn defeated businessman and former Metro Nashville Councilmember Anthony Davis in the Democratic primary.
Davis was appointed by Metro Council in June. A popular progressive during his time in office, he was endorsed in his bid by 25 members of the Metro Council and eight members of the Davidson County legislative delegation.
Davis out-fundraised Behn, taking in $77,047 to Behn’s $49,156.
But the appointment of Davis enraged progressives who said Metro Council should have refrained from appointing Davis given the short time frame between the appointment and the Thursday special election, and painted Davis as too conservative for the district.
Behn has campaigned in part on her relationship with Pearson, Jones and Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Nashville — who got the nickname the “Tennessee Three” after they were brought up in the House on expulsion charges — and said she would support them if elected.
Pearson and Jones were expelled by their Republican colleagues in April for taking a bullhorn onto the House floor to rally protesters calling for gun safety legislation just days after a shooter killed six people at Nashville Covenant School. Johnson missed expulsion by one vote.
Within a week of the expulsion, both Pearson and Jones were reappointed to their seats by their respective county commissions. Costs for the elections in House Districts 3, 52 and 86 alone are estimated to cost taxpayers about $570,000.
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