Former Tennessee state Democratic Rep. Justin Pearson is facing criticism from conservatives for altering his voice and mannerisms while speaking publicly, which was made evident in unearthed footage from an election he took part in nearly a decade ago at Maine's Bowdoin College.
A college campaign ad for Pearson's successful bid for president of Bowdoin Student Government in 2016 showed a more casual Pearson who pushed for unity and understanding among his peers.
"I'm Justin J. Pearson, and I'm running for president of BSG," Pearson said in the school campaign ad. "There are a few reasons why we're running this campaign this year. One has to do with representation … How can we represent all voices in a conversation?"
Pearson said his efforts were meant to garner responses from both Democrats and Republicans on campus at the time.
"I wanna bring together different voices — dissenting voices, voices that may be more liberal or more conservative — in order that we can reach a point of, sort of, the radical middle," he said in the campaign video.
Pearson, who represented Tennessee's 86th District in the state House, was one of three lawmakers, along with Democrat Reps. Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones, who riled up gun control protesters and took to the House floor to call on their colleagues to take action against gun violence last month.
As a consequence of their actions, both Pearson and Jones were expelled from the House by Republicans. The protest from the Democratic lawmakers came after a transgender shooter killed six people, including three children, at a private Christian school in Nashville.
Amid his expulsion from the state House, Pearson delivered an impassioned and lengthy speech about the actions of his Republican counterparts and the state's inaction on gun control.
Despite his previous remarks as a college student nearly 10 years ago, Pearson now speaks with a drawl that's reminiscent of a southern pastor.
"All glory and honor to God, who makes all things possible," Pearson said in a sermon-like manner as he took the mic last weekend in the Tennessee Capitol, moments before a vote was held to expel him from his role in the chamber.
"Seem like the NRA and gun lobbyist might win. … I don't know how long this Saturday in the state of Tennessee might last, but oh we have good news folks. We've got good news that Sunday always comes," Pearson added later.
Several social media users were quick to notice the alteration in Pearson's voice and behavior from 2016 to now.
"Justin Pearson is a complete fraud," conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong wrote in a tweet.
Delano Squires, a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, also weighed in on the unearthed footage and pointed out the difference in Pearson's "cadence and presentation" from 2016 to now.
"Check the difference in cadence and presentation between 2016 and now," Squires wrote in a tweet. "Not sure whose 60s-inspired cosplay is faker—Kaep’s journey from clean cut playboy to Black Panther or Pearson’s transition from Bowdoin student to MLK impersonator."
"These guys are faker than a $3 bill," Squires added in a response to another tweet.
"This is like an SNL skit. Amazing," Outkick founder Clay Travis commented in a tweet.
Pearson's former colleague, Justin Jones, who was reinstated in the statehouse Monday, has called for the Republican speaker of the statehouse to resign.
"He is an enemy of democracy, and he doesn’t deserve to be in that office of a speaker of the house any longer," Jones told CNN of House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
Pearson, who was elected in a special election to represent the state's 86th District in January, is the only one, as of now, who did not get to keep his position in the House. While Johnson faced expulsion, she ultimately survived a vote.
