Tennessee Republican Fears Funding Cuts If Ousted Democrat is Reappointed

• After two Tennessee Democrats were expelled from the state legislature, the Nashville Metropolitan Council reinstated one of them.
• However, Shelby County commissioners are still debating whether to reappoint the remaining expelled Democrat, Justin Pearson, amid alleged Republican threats to cut funding if he rejoins the chamber.
• Pearson described the reports of the threats as a testament to the type of culture he and his Democratic colleagues have faced in the legislature.

After a city council reinstated one of the two Tennessee Democrats ousted from the state legislature, only one remains expelled. But Republicans in his county fear that sending him back into the chamber will lead GOP legislators to cut funding to Shelby County.

At least two Shelby County commissioners have said that there have been threats that funding from the state could be slashed if former state Representative Justin Pearson is appointed as the interim representative between now and the special election to fill the district seat.

Last week, state Republicans filed a resolution to expel three Democrats from Tennessee's House of Representatives after Pearson, and his colleagues Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson joined protesters advocating for stricter gun control in disrupting legislative procedures just days after a school shooting in Nashville.

The expulsion vote—a rare move that critics argued was partisan retaliation—became even more controversial when only Pearson and Jones, who are Black, were ousted but Johnson, a white woman, was not. However, on Monday, Jones was reinstated to his position by the 36 members of the Nashville Metropolitan Council, who unanimously voted for his return.

The city council vote means that Pearson is the only one of the three Democrats whose future at the state Capitol remains uncertain.

In order for Pearson to be reappointed to his seat representing the state's 86th district, which covers parts of Memphis, the 28-year-old would need to be appointed by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.

The board's 13 members are expected to meet in a special meeting on Wednesday to determine whether or not to send Pearson back to the state legislature. Announcing the meeting on Sunday, Chairman Mickell Lowery signaled he was prepared to vote to reappoint Pearson, calling his expulsion "hasty" and stressing that he was among the "over 68, 000 citizens who were stripped of having a representative at the State due to the unfortunate outcome of the State Assembly's vote."

But while the commission holds a Democratic supermajority, it's unlikely the decision will be unanimous.

Commissioner Amber Mills, a Republican, told the Commercial Appeal last week that she does not plan to back Pearson, saying she doesn't believe he'd be "effective" if he were reappointed and cautioning that reinstating him could hurt the county because legislators could block funds to Shelby County.

A spokesperson for Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton told Newsweek that the Republican conference had no intention to sway the board's vote, saying, "The two governing bodies will make the decision as to who they want to appoint to these seats. Those two individuals will be seated as representatives as the constitution requires."

Commissioner Erika Sugarmon, a Democrat, also told KSTU-TV that the county has been "threatened" in regard to funding, but that now was the time to fight back against "bullying" from the state.

"We are also being threatened by the state to take away funding, needed funding to run our schools, to run our municipalities," Sugarmon said. "This [is] about bullying people into submission. And enough is enough. You know, we've got to stand for something or fall for everything. And we've been bullied by the state for too long now."

On Monday, Pearson told HuffPost that he found it "appalling" to hear of legislators threatening to cut county funding and described the reports as a "testament to the type of culture" he and his Democratic colleagues have faced in the chamber.

"I think that it is appalling that leaders in Nashville would actually threaten other elected officials in Shelby County with the removal of funds from our county if they follow the Democratic process of reappointment," Pearson said. "It is a testament to the type of culture that we've been dealing with, with the supermajority of the Republican legislature in Tennessee."

Newsweek reached out to Mills and Sugarmon by email for comment.

Update 04/11/23 1:21 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from Sexton's office.