State Representative Justin Pearson of Tennessee said he raised $860,000 after he was expelled from the state legislature after participating in a gun control protest on the House floor. Mr Pearson, who represents a district in Memphis, was one of three Democratic legislators who faced expolsion from the chamber after their participation in a protest sparked by a mass shooting that claimed six lives at a Nashville school in March. But the explosion of Mr Pearson and Rep Justin Jones seems to have backfired on the Republican majority in several ways. Mr Pearson and Mr Jones were both re-appointed to their seats, and now Mr Pearson has revealed the effect his brief expolsion from the chamber had on his fundraising. Mr Pearson recieved donations from more than 31,000 people, the majority of whom donated in the week between his expulsion and his reinstatement by a unanimous vote of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. The amount of money Mr Pearson recieved is all the more notable because Tennessee legislators are barred from fundraising during legislative sessions. “To see so much support, particularly from these tens of thousands of small-dollar donations, is a testament to what I believe is a people-powered movement, which is that we all have something to contribute, and our little bits of contribution makes a lot,” Mr Pearson told the Associated Press. Now, however, Mr Pearson has the kind of money in his campaign coffers that some state legislators never amass. The 28-year-old graduate of Bowdoin College, only raised around $144,000 during his successful campaign for the state House earlier this year. The Associated Press reported that the entire Tennessee House Democratic Caucus only raised around $233,000 during the 2022 election year. But that was a long time ago. When Republicans singled out Mr Pearson, Mr Jones, and Rep Gloria Johnson for their participation in the gun control protest, they quickly elevated them to national stardom. Mr Pearson, Mr Jones, and Ms Johnson became consistent presences on national television, visited the White House, and made appearances outside of Tennessee. National Democrats like Sen Chris Murphy of Connecticut helped fundraise. Now, given his considerable profile and youth, Mr Pearson has been mentioned as a potential rising star in a Tennessee Democratic Party that has fallen on hard times in recent years. It’s a remarkable rise for an environmental activist who wasn’t even in elected office until January. Read More After expulsion and reinstatement, Tennessee Reps. Pearson, Jones advance past Democratic primaries In Tennessee, expulsions echo a decades-old protest movement

Mikel Arteta explains his decision not to substitute Jurrien Timber before his injury in Arsenal's win over Nottingham Forest.

The search continues for former NFL player Sergio Brown after his mother was found dead with assault injuries near a creek behind her suburban Chicago home, according to the Maywood Police Department.

Tinder recently updated its Community Guidelines, and with it comes changes to "reinforce authenticity, respect,

Australia full-back Ben Donaldson scored 25 points as Australia claimed a first win in six games under Eddie Jones as they beat Georgia 35-15 in...

The major TV networks previewed their fall primetime lineups this week, with much of the usual fanfare. But the optimistic predictions and upbeat sales pitches mostly soft-peddled the fact that because of the ongoing writers' strike, there's no telling when some of the shiny new shows ordered for the coming season will actually see the light of day.

Some badly-behaved stars have been banned from talk shows for intoxication or rude behavior but others have been banned simply for their views

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 20, 2023--

Yveltal is Pokemon GO's newest five-star raid.

Wednesday's Elden Ring hotfix to Patch 1.04 fixed the Malenia bug that made her heal more than normal.

WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was among the scores of witnesses interviewed in the federal investigation

Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group Co. is in discussions with lenders to refinance a $275 million private debt