‘Tennessee Three’ Democrat announces run for Marsha Blackburn Senate seat
Cami Mondeaux
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Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson, a member of the “Tennessee Three” who was nearly expelled from the state legislature earlier this year, has announced a Senate bid to unseat Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
Johnson launched her campaign during a multistop city tour on Tuesday morning, declaring a challenge to Blackburn after forming an exploratory committee earlier this year.
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“Gloria has dedicated her life to fighting for justice and standing tall for Tennesseans who have been left out, left behind, or left without a voice,” her campaign said in a press release. “She is challenging Marsha Blackburn because Tennessee deserves a Senator who will fight for working families not special interest donors and D.C. politicians.”
Johnson’s campaign comes after the state lawmaker garnered national attention as one of the “Tennessee Three,” a group of state lawmakers who faced an expulsion vote after participating in a gun violence protest. Johnson narrowly avoided being expelled by just one vote, while the other two lawmakers, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, were ousted.
Both Jones and Pearson were later reinstated after winning special elections for their seats.
Johnson was first elected to the Tennessee House to represent the state’s 13th District in 2012 and lost reelection in 2014. She was later reelected in 2018 and 2020 before moving to District 90 in 2022 after the state’s redistricting shifted the congressional boundaries.
Blackburn’s campaign dismissed Johnson’s challenge, calling the state representative “as woke as they come.” The team also pointed to Blackburn’s performance in the 2018 midterm elections when she defeated then-Gov. Phil Bredesen by nearly 11 points, becoming the first woman elected U.S. senator from Tennessee.
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“[Johnson] would be a puppet for Joe Biden, the Squad, and Chuck Schumer in the Senate,” said Abigail Sigler, a spokeswoman for Blackburn’s campaign. “While Senator Blackburn is working hard to fight back against Biden’s woke agenda, State Rep. Johnson is pushing that divisive, destructive agenda here in Tennessee. Tennesseans deserve a United States Senator who is committed to fighting for our conservative values. Senator Blackburn will continue her record of getting things done and fighting for Tennessee families.”
Blackburn’s seat is expected to lean heavily Republican, especially after then-President Donald Trump won the state by more than 23 points in 2020. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the race as “Solid Republican.”