Investigates

Series: A darker shade of red

A look at how idealogues have tried to reshape the Volunteer State

By: Lookout Staff and Devon Heinen - August 7, 2023 5:00 am

(Illustration: John Partipilo)

In 2022, Tennessee became fertile ground for far-right activity and the launch of groups on the right wing of the political spectrum, an outgrowth of former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and anti-COVID-19 measures that sparked conspiracy theories. In the five-part series, “A darker shade of red,” writer Devon Heinen unpacks how such groups have proliferated in the state since Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election, and influenced local and state politics.

Part one: A darker shade of red

Evolution of the Christian right in Tennessee

Muzzled: COVID-19 and controversy in Tennessee

“Medical freedom” at the forefront of 2022 Tennessee elections

In Tennessee, far-right groups flex newfound muscle

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Lookout Staff

Devon Heinen

Devon Heinen is a journalist covering U.S. national affairs and specializes in writing long-form features. His reporting on the U.S. Indigenous suicide epidemic as well as on the aftermath of the 2018 mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida, won him national awards in narrative feature writing from the Society for Features Journalism. Devon lives in New York City. You can follow him on Threads (@heinendevon) and on Twitter (@DevonHeinen).