During the course of the 2022 campaign, Tennyson faced abuse and intimidation. On one occasion, he was verbally abused and told to leave a 'Protestant area' when canvassing in Lurgan.[11]
At a sitting of the Assembly on 30 May 2022, Tennyson accused the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of treating the public as "leverage", after the party refused to assent to the election of a Speaker and blocked formation of an Assembly in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol.[12] He subsequently called on the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to stop the salaries of MLAs who refused to enter the Assembly in order to incentivise the DUP to "get back to work".[13] Following the restoration of devolution in February 2024, Tennyson was appointed to the Committee for Finance and became a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.[14][15]