Footage from the March 30 protest on the floor of the House of Representatives in Tennessee.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Tennessee’s Republican-led House of Representatives’ move to expel two Democrats last week resulted in a surprise: It gave the duo the biggest platform of their political careers.

The two Democrats, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, were expelled from the House days after they interrupted a session to advocate gun control following a mass shooting here. The House’s Republican supermajority sought to punish the freshman lawmakers for breaking House rules but ended up catapulting the two young men with next to no widespread name ID onto the national stage. They have juggled national TV appearances and a call from President Biden.