Tennessee House Rep. Justin J. Pearson, part of the famed “Tennessee Three,” will be the keynote speaker at the Hamilton County Democratic Party’s annual Estes Kefauver Dinner Saturday at the Westin Hotel in Chattanooga’s West Village.
The Kefauver Dinner is HCDP’s biggest fundraiser of the year and one of Tennessee’s most popular political events. Go to the HCDP website to purchase tickets, sponsor tables or to become a host.
"We are very excited to hear from Rep. Pearson,” said HCDP Chair Rachel Campbell. “He has been in much demand in progressive circles, and I know that Hamilton County Democrats will be inspired by his words.”
Rep. Pearson, who was first elected in 2023 to represent part of Memphis, and fellow state Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville were expelled in April 2023 for violating decorum rules by participating in a gun safety protest on the floor of the state’s House of Representatives. He was quickly reappointed by a unanimous vote of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners and later easily won a special election to keep his seat in the House.
In addition to Rep. Pearson, attendees to the Kefauver Dinner will hear from Justin Kanew, editor of the progressive online publication, The Tennessee Holler, and Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, a candidate for U.S. Senate and the third member of the Tennessee Three, who avoided expulsion by a single vote. Local Democratic candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives and the Tennessee Legislature will also address the crowd. In addition, Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Hendrell Remus will speak about the ongoing efforts to turn Tennessee Blue.
The HCDP fundraiser is named after Estes Kefauver, an influential Tennessee Democrat who served as a member of the US House of Representatives from 1939-49 and the U.S. Senate from 1949 until his death in 1963. He was also the Democratic nominee for vice president in 1956, with Adlai Stevenson at the top of the ticket.
For more information, contact Ms. Campbell at 227-0759.