OnPolitics: Most Americans side with 'Tennessee Three' on protest, poll finds
Hi there, OnPolitics readers!
An exclusive Paste BN/Ipsos poll finds most Americans on the side of the two Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled from the state’s legislature for protesting for tougher gun laws.
The survey, conducted this past weekend, finds three-fourths of respondents – including more than 6 in 10 Republicans – say legislators have the right to peacefully protest at statehouses.
Why it matters: The findings underscore the political risks for Republicans at odds with broader public opinion on the response to a spate of mass shootings, Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page writes, including one at a Nashville school on March 27 that killed three children and three adults.
What else the poll said:
- Fifty-one percent of those surveyed called the expulsions an anti-democratic abuse of power while 42% viewed the move as an appropriate way to discipline lawmakers.
- Americans are split on whether a legislator who disrupts a hearing should be expelled, 49%-48%.
🏛️ More poll findings: Exclusive: Americans call Tennessee expulsions 'abuse of power,' back tougher gun laws
🏃♂️ In case you missed it: Expelled Tennessee lawmaker Justin Jones reappointed to state legislature
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