NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Rep. Justin Jones, who was one of the two Black lawmakers expelled from the Tennessee Statehouse last year by a majority of Republicans, is expected to remain on the 2024 ballot despite his Republican opponent’s efforts to qualify for the election.
Jones, had submitted 26 signatures from voters within his district to election officials to qualify as the Democratic candidate for the election. The necessary minimum is 25.
One of the signatures was disqualified, prompting his Republican opponent Laura Nelson to file a complaint that challenged the validity of 10 more signatures that were initially submitted.
In April of last year, the GOP-controlled statehouse expelled Jones and another Black Democrat, Rep. Justin Pearson for leading a protest calling for gun control after six people were fatally shot at a Christian elementary school in Nashville. Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, was also part of the protest, but narrowly escaped expulsion by one vote. The three representatives were dubbed the “Tennessee Three” after the house expulsions.
More on the election in Nashville and the Tennessee Three.
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