After serving 26 years as a Memphis Democrat in the Tennessee General Assembly, state Rep. John DeBerry is being removed from that party’s August 2020 primary ballot.

The Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee voted Wednesday, April 8, to accept a challenge to DeBerry’s status as a Democratic candidate for the Aug. 6 primary.

In a 41-18 vote with two abstentions, the committee, acting as the primary board for the state party committee, opted to send a letter to the Tennessee Division of Elections to remove him from the ballot this fall.

Tennessee Democratic Party to consider booting DeBerry off ballot

An April 1 letter from Jan Lentz of Memphis, co-chairman of the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, challenged DeBerry’s bonafide status as a Democrat. The complaint stems largely from the veteran lawmaker’s vote in favor of Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account program in 2019. The vote on the savings account was tied before a Knoxville Republican broke it.

The vote likely spells the end of his chances to run this year.

It’s too late for him to qualify as an independent, and DeBerry said he will not run as a Republican this fall. DeBerry can appeal the vote, but he indicated he won’t argue his case before the same executive committee that just voted to oust him from the party.

“According to their subjective and very biased opinions, I’m not a Democrat. I don’t fit their new redefining of a Democrat,” the disappointed DeBerry, a 69-year-old Church of Christ minister, told The Daily Memphian afterward.

“And so, I’m not,” he said in a separate statement.

Defending himself, he pointed out he served as chairman of a House committee for 12 years under a Democratic speaker and passed “countless” bills as a Democrat for the city of Memphis and Shelby County.

“And they say I’m not a Democrat, so they get together in a tribunal over the telephone during a crisis, alerting me less than 48 hours ago, no chance to respond, get my constituents to make a comment and vote I am de-bonafide as a Democrat,” DeBerry said. “So there it is, what I can do except move on and hope that the people of my district and the people of the state of Tennessee see this for the backhanded move that it is? That is, you can’t beat me at the ballot box, so if you can’t compete, eliminate the competition.”

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway and state Sen. Raumesh Akbari made impassioned pleas to keep DeBerry on the ticket in House District 90. Also running are Torrey Harris, who was defeated by DeBerry in 2018, Anya Parker, a hair salon owner, and Catrina Smith.

Hardaway and Akbari pointed out they vehemently disagreed with DeBerry’s stance to restrict abortion and in favor of school vouchers. But Akbari pointed out those are not litmus tests for Democrats, and she recalled that DeBerry voted in favor of giving in-state tuition to immigrant students.

“If his district feels he swings too conservative, they need to get him out of office. If members of the community want another candidate, then y’all need to aggressively fund-raise and campaign to beat him. That’s how this process should work,” Akbari said.

Unless he committed an “egregious” violation of Democrats’ platform, he should remain in the party, she argued, adding room should be made for conservative voices too.

“If we don’t allow people to be heard and to share their opinions based on their experience, then we ourselves are bullies,” Akbari said.

She contended groups supporting DeBerry’s ouster behind the scenes and overtly should consider how they are “bullying” other Democrats.

Hardaway, who sat in for committee member state Rep. Mike Stewart of Nashville, told the group DeBerry has the “unwavering support” of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators.

“Respect the Democrats, Democrats who voted to send John DeBerry to the Tennessee General Assembly time and time and time and time and time again,” Hardaway said. “Twenty-six years, John DeBerry has stood for re-election with his record available for the public to scrutinize. His constituents, mostly moderate Democrats, have chosen to send John DeBerry to represent them under this big Democratic tent.”

However, members such as Issac Freeman of Shelby County said DeBerry has not held up Democratic principles such as backing women’s rights and LGBTQ rights. Others complained he also had voted against sensible gun laws.

“The facts are very clear, Mr. DeBerry has not shown any values of what a true Democrat is,” Freeman said.

Jordan Wilkins, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic County Chairs Association, said he spent several days researching the matter and spoke to DeBerry before Wednesday’s vote. Though he was concerned about sidestepping Shelby County voters, he felt the information from Lentz was overwhelming.

“When I spoke with Rep. DeBerry, I asked him about several of the items presented in the documentation to this committee,” Wilkins said. “… Based on my research and the conversations I’ve had with him and others, I found his answers to be insufficient and not convincing.”

A package of information put together by Lentz points out DeBerry received donations from groups and individuals such as CAI PAC Tennessee, Great Schools PAC, J.C. Huizenga, Tennesseans for Putting Students First, Barbara and J.R. Hyde, FedEx Corporation PAC and Amy Weirich, all of whom are Republicans or Republican-leaning organizations.

DeBerry also sent out a “Democrats for DeVos” flier supporting Betsy DeVos, the education secretary for President Donald Trump and a supporter of vouchers and other forms of education choice, according to Lentz.

In addition, DeBerry received an endorsement and contribution from the National Federation of Independent Businesses Tennessee PAC. He also voted for Republican Glen Casada to become House Speaker in 2019 rather than House Minority Leader Karen Camper of Memphis.

Other records show he donated campaign funds to former Republican House Speaker Beth Harwell and former Republican state Rep. Bill Sanderson of West Tennessee.

Chris Anderson, an executive committee member from Hamilton County, said DeBerry has taken actions in every legislative session for the past 13 years “contrary” to Democrats’ values and platform.

“I think it is high past time we stripped him of his affiliation with the Democratic Party, which I believe is more of convenience than personal conviction,” Anderson said.

Four others removed

The executive committee also voted to remove William Frazier, candidate for state House District 84, in a 38-19 vote; Latroy Alexandria-Williams, who filed for the Ninth Congressional District seat, in a 53-0 vote; Michael Minnis, a candidate for House District 90, on a recommendation from the County Development Party accepted by Chairman Mary Mancini; and Tharon Chandler, who filed papers to run for the U.S. Senate in a 54-0 vote.