Politics and Current
Tennessee Three’s Justin J. Pearson says Harris “fought for us,” so he’s returning the favor
The day after two young Black Tennessee lawmakers were expelled by mostly white Republicans last yr, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Nashville on a whim to denounce the ousters in an unscripted speech fiery speech.
Getting involved in such a state-level controversy was an unusual move for a sitting vp.
Reps. Justin J. Pearson, Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson were impeached in the state House of Representatives on expulsion charges after they joined anti-gun violence protesters in the Capitol constructing following a deadly school shooting that killed three 9-year-olds students and three lecturers.
Ultimately, Pearson and Jones – newly elected lawmakers of their 20s at the time – were expelled. Johnson, a white woman, survived the vote to maintain her seat. Pearson and Jones were later reinstated of their respective special elections.
“The vice president’s arrival in Tennessee on April 7, 2023 was one of the most important moments in our fight for justice in Tennessee in decades,” said Rep. Pearson, recalling Harris’ impromptu visit to Fisk University.
More than a yr later, Pearson is giving back to Harris, who’s traveling the country as a surrogate for her historic presidential campaign. Jones can also be a campaign surrogate.
“She came and wrestled for us in Tennessee, so I’m happy to wrestle for her,” Pearson stated.
Now a national figure, Pearson traveled to battleground states comparable to Georgia and North Carolina, in addition to states throughout the South comparable to Virginia and Florida. The 29-year-old state representative is reaching out to voters — particularly young Black voters — about Harris’ policies and what’s at stake on this yr’s election, scheduled for Nov. 5 in only five weeks.
“The energy is just palpable,” Pearson said of the overall mood in the field. “I believe Vice President Harris has high hopes for what she has expressed, whether it be helping first-time homebuyers and (or) enabling small business owners to provide more resources and capital.”
But polls show there continues to be a lag in support and enthusiasm amongst young voters of color. Although Harris leads Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, amongst voters under 35 (in line with a recent CNN poll, 52% to 40%). questionnaire), still lags behind President Joe Biden’s support in 2020.
Pearson found it “challenging” that young voters of color want to interact in the political process out of frustration.
“You don’t know if it’s actually going to benefit you,” he said of young Americans this election campaign.
But Pearson says the sense of apathy is basically resulting from the actions of Republican leaders like Trump and others at the state level.
“We had an administration that caused a million deaths due to mismanagement of the Covid-19 virus,” he said, referring to Trump’s presidency during the pandemic.
“We have seen policy at the state level expel and ban lawmakers instead of banning assault rifles,” he continued. “We have seen even more books being banned at a local level, rather than providing more resources for children to learn.”
Rep. Pearson, meanwhile, said Vice President Harris’ campaign raises issues that matter most to young people and Black and brown communities. That is why he is decided to be certain that as many communities as possible can vote.
“This campaign will be won and lost depending on who is able to knock on those doors, who is able to make those calls, who is able to get people to vote,” he explained.
Voting for Harris will come right down to highlighting her economic agenda and her commitment to solving national issues like gun violence. With just weeks to go before the election, he argues that Harris’ candidacy has “invigorated” voters who “may otherwise have been uninterested” in politics or government.
“The vision that he has and that he shares is more relevant to younger voters in a way that we haven’t seen in this campaign and we certainly don’t see in Donald’s campaign,” Pearson argued.
The economy is a key issue for voters, particularly concerning young voters who cannot afford living costs.
“People don’t have children… you worry about the consequences of increasing greed inflation in your life,” Pearson said. He added: “Or student loan debt… You can’t make the moves you need to if you take on $150,000 in debt.”
The Tennessee lawmaker highlighted Vice President Harris’s work with President Biden to cancel multi-billion dollar student loan debt so that Americans can “affirm their dreams… in a helpful and harmless way by giving money to billionaires.”
Harris also unveiled economic plans to extend the child tax credit to $6,000 for latest parents, provide $25,000 in aid to first-time home buyers and supply tax credits of as much as $50,000 for small business startups. She also vowed to pursue corporations for price gouging.
“We need someone who will show up and give her all on behalf of the entire country, not just the privileged few,” Pearson said of Harris, her support and her leadership.
Reflecting on the day Harris drove nearly 700 miles from the nation’s capital to Nashville, Tennessee, Pearson added: “And so she came in and fought for us, and now I’m fighting for her.”
“Because there will be a cult of Donald Trump,” he added. “We have to make sure our team shows up on the field.”