Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said in an exclusive interview Friday that Democratic lawmakers who were involved in disruptions during the congressional redistricting vote “will face the consequences” as House leadership continues investigating the events surrounding the special session.
During an appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Sexton defended the Tennessee General Assembly’s approval of the state’s new congressional map, which Republicans say more accurately reflects the state’s conservative voting trends.
The plan, which has since been signed into law by Governor Bill Lee, is expected to shift Tennessee’s congressional delegation to a 9-0 Republican advantage.
“We accomplished what we went in for,” Sexton said. “We redrew the state’s congressional maps.”
The speaker dismissed criticism from opponents who have argued the map unlawfully dilutes minority voting power, particularly in Memphis. He said lawmakers relied solely on political and population data when crafting the districts.
“We used…no racial data,” he said.
The three-day special session drew protests inside and outside the Capitol, with demonstrators using whistles, air horns, chants, and other noisemakers and signage during debate on the House floor. Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers eventually removed protesters from portions of the galleries.
Sexton criticized both the protesters and Democratic lawmakers who were participating in the disruptions, saying that the members violated House rules by engaging in disruptive conduct throughout the proceedings.
He pointed to the 2023 incident on the Tennessee House floor where two Democrats, State Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), were expelled after commandeering the floor in protest of gun laws following the Covenant School shooting.
“It was a zoo,” Sexton said. “We understand what that looks like. We’ve been through it before. We had to expel two radical members, and they were radical again yesterday.”
The speaker said House leadership is reviewing footage and evidence from the demonstrations and suggested disciplinary action could follow.
“They were on the House floor, and so we’re looking at that…They’ll face the consequences based on our investigation into it,” Sexton said.
Sexton also rejected descriptions of the demonstrations as peaceful.
“People who will look at these protestors and say that they were peaceful — there was nothing peaceful about them,” he said. “There’s too much video. They were the most aggressive, vile, violent protestors that we’ve had.”
“We had five members that were assaulted trying to leave the Capitol,” he added.
State Representative Rusty Grills (R-Newbern) echoed those concerns during a separate interview Friday, describing the demonstrations attempting to obstruct the legislative process as “mob rule.”
Sexton further claimed that Democratic caucus members helped protesters bypass security procedures by smuggling noisemaking devices into the Capitol galleries.
“We also understand that there were members of the Democratic caucus who snuck in all those devices that they use for noisemakers for the gallery so they wouldn’t get caught in security,” Sexton said. “We know who that person is, so we’re looking into that.”
Despite legal challenges already filed against the congressional map, including a lawsuit from the NAACP in Davidson County Chancery Court, Sexton expressed confidence that the plan will ultimately survive judicial review.
“We feel very comfortable about where we’re at,” Sexton said. “We know we’re gonna win long-term.”
With regard to claims that the redistricting timeline leaves insufficient time before the August primary, Sexton denied such accusations.
“There is still a window to get it done,” he said. “It’s just the congressional map, and the congressional map obviously is not as complicated as the State House or State Senate or local county commission races.”
Candidate petition pickup for the newly drawn congressional districts began Friday, with filing deadlines set for May 15 ahead of Tennessee’s August 6 primary election.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X.
Photo “TN House Speaker Cam Sexton” by TN House Speaker Cam Sexton.
