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What the legislative expulsions in Arizona and Tennessee have in common

Maricopa County Supervisors have a list of three names to replace Republican Rep. Liz Harris. Harris was expelled from the Arizona House of Representatives last week on a bipartisan vote, after inviting a speaker to a hearing who spread wild conspiracy theories.

Harris then lied about whether she knew ahead of time what that speaker was going to say. Precinct committee members in her legislative district met last night to come up with the three candidates from which county supervisors can choose to replace Harris — the top vote-getter in that process was Harris herself.

Her expulsion followed that of two Democrats in the Tennessee House of Representatives, albeit for very different reasons. Representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones were kicked out for leading protests on gun safety. Both have since been reinstated, at least temporarily.

For more on the similarities and differences between the expulsions, The Show spoke with Humberto Sanchez — a reporter at Pluribus News, which covers state legislatures and state-level policy.

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.