Tennessee Democrat Gloria Johnson Launches Senate Campaign

Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D), who was nearly expelled after protesting gun violence on the floor of the state chamber, announced on Tuesday her campaign to unseat Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

Johnson announced her campaign at the Tennessee Women’s Suffrage monument in Nashville, making her the second Democrat to run for the seat. Marquita Bradshaw, a community activist from Memphis, already declared her candidacy. Bradshaw lost to then-candidate Bill Hagerty in the 2020 elections in a landslide.

Johnson was one of the three lawmakers to stage a protest on the state floor chamber against gun violence. In April, the state legislature voted to expel the three members who staged the protest; Johnson kept her seat by one vote.

WATCH: Protesters Greet Rep. Gloria Johnson

Blackburn’s campaign released a statement after “radical socialist” Johnson announced her bid for the Democrat nomination.

Abigail Sigler, a Blackburn campaign spokesman, said in a statement:

It’s no surprise that radical socialist Gloria Johnson decided to jump into the race at the urging of liberals in Washington, joining Marquita Bradshaw and others in the race for the Democratic nomination. State Rep. Johnson is as woke as they come, and she would be a puppet for Joe Biden, the Squad, and Chuck Schumer in the Senate. 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 campaign noted that the senator beat former Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) by nearly 11 points in 2018.

The Blackburn Tennessee Victory Fund unveiled a website, RadicalGloria.com, showing how Johnson supports the “woke socialist agenda,” including gender transitions for children and late-term abortions.

“She wants to open our borders and confiscate your guns. Gloria has repeatedly voted against tax cuts for Tennesseans. Her radical policies hurt our state and our economy,” the website noted.

For years, Johnson has been labeled as the most leftist member of the Tennessee State House. In 2014, the Sunlight Foundation ranked her as the most liberal member.

In the state House, Johnson voted against a resolution urging Congress to complete a border wall on the southern border, voted against banning illegal aliens from voting in American elections, and voted for a bill to provide in-state college tuition to illegal aliens.

She also voted against blocking biological males from competing in women’s sports at public institutions, voted against preventing pre-college transgender men from competing in women’s sports, voted against requiring the state to withhold funds from schools that refuse to state a student athlete’s gender based on their sex, and voted against banning public universities from allowing a male to join women’s sports teams.

As an avowed supporter of abortion, Johnson voted against banning taxpayer-funded abortions in the Volunteer State, voted against banning public schools that allow Planned Parenthood to teach family life classes, voted against a fetal heartbeat bill, and voted against recognizing that unborn children have a right to live.

Johnson also voted against laws that would combat the teaching of critical race theory (CRT), voted against requiring schools to provide students’ parents with a list of books in their libraries, and voted against a bill to strengthen school safety.

Johnson has also publicly praised the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, illegal immigrants, and other controversial topics.

She wrote regarding the BLM movement in April 2021, “Justice. Let this be the beginning of real change and justice for ALL. There is so much more work to do.”

She wrote in 2017, “Proud to see this group of #KCS teachers standing up for #Dreamers, I’m sure they have taught many!” By “#Dreamers,” Johnson was referring to illegal aliens. 

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.