Chattanooga area lawmakers vote against removing Confederate statues from U.S. Capitol

FILE - In this June 24, 2015 file photo, a statue of Alexander Hamilton Stephens, the Confederate vice president throughout the American Civil War, is on display in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif is calling for the removal of Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol as the contentious debate over the appropriateness of such memorials moves to the halls of Congress. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) FILE - In this June 24, 2015 file photo, a statue of Alexander Hamilton Stephens, the Confederate vice president throughout the American Civil War, is on display in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif is calling for the removal of Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol as the contentious debate over the appropriateness of such memorials moves to the halls of Congress. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

By Patrick Filbin July 23, 2020 6 min read

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to banish statues of Confederate figures from the U.S. Capitol in a bipartisan effort to remove historical symbols of racism and oppression from public spaces.

Seventy-two House Republicans voted for the measure, which passed 305-113.

All the no votes were from Republicans, including all representatives of the Chattanooga metro area.

All seven Republicans from Tennessee decided not to vote to remove the statues. Representatives Scott DesJarlais (R-South Pittsburgh), Mark Green (R-Brentwood), Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), Chuck Fleischmann (R-Ooltewah), David Kustoff (R-Memphis), Phil Roe (R-Johnson City) and John Rose (R-Cookeville) voted against the measure.

Rep. Tom Graves, a Republican Congressman in Georgia’s 14th District, and Mo Brooks, a Republican Congressman in Alabama’s 5th District, also voted against the measure.