KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) announced Tuesday she will be running for U.S. Senate in 2024 in a bid to face Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
Johnson held the first of three announcements Tuesday morning at the historic Savage Garden in North Knoxville's Fountain City neighborhood. She also scheduled events in Nashville and Memphis that day with local leaders and supporters.
"Well, it looks like I'm running for U.S. Senate. Absolutely," Johnson said to 10News. "Currently, we don't have representation that cares about Tennessee families. Our representation is out there working for corporations, and lobbyists, and big pharma, and the NRA. We need somebody who's going to care about Tennessee families and lifting them up."
In August, the Associated Press reported Johnson had filed exploratory paperwork, which is usually one of the last steps before formally launching a campaign. Doing so allows her to start raising money to support efforts like traveling and polling without officially becoming a candidate. It's not required to run for political office but it can help boost a candidate's profile.
Johnson said she would want to raise the federal minimum wage while noting there is disagreement on how much the wage should be raised. She said she would search for consensus on the new wage among Tennesseans before committing to a specific amount.
"If we're talking about cutting taxes, it needs to be for working families and the middle class, not the wealthy and well-connected," she said. "We need to keep social security intact. We can do that, we can make sure it's solvent, all those things. We can do that, people rely on that money when they retire. They paid into it. How dare we think about, for even a second, think about taking away the dollars that people have been paying into their entire life."
Johnson came to national prominence this year as a member of the “Tennessee Three” who were targeted by a Republican-led expulsion effort in the state capitol.
"There's a closer balance, of course, when you get to D.C. between the two parties, which makes a big difference," she said. "There is massive agreement that Tennessee families, 80%, want women to be equal and have bodily autonomy. Eighty percent want common-sense gun legislation because guns are now the number-one killed of our youth."
In ruby-red Tennessee, Johnson is expected to face an uphill battle if she advances to face Blackburn. The state hasn’t elected a Democrat to a statewide office since 2006.
"I absolutely believe, with the movement that is happening in Tennessee, the eyes that are on Tennessee that weren't paying much attention before — some of the Covenant moms I talked to, the women that never realized that their bodily autonomies are in such jeopardy in this state — are paying attention to it," she said. "We will be a one-solid coalition, and that's what terrifies them. That's how we win this, everybody working together to lift up Tennessee families instead of corporations and billionaires."
Johnson has long been a vocal critic of Blackburn and other top Tennessee Republican leaders during her time in office. However, it wasn't until this spring that her political career received a national boost after she participated in a pro-gun control protest inside the Tennessee Capitol that attracted thousands of protesters demanding lawmakers address the state's lax gun laws.
"There's this cloud over our head as we see Tennessee eroding democracy. And so, we've got to have someone in there fighting for our democracy, fighting for our Tennessee families, and making sure that Tennesseans have access to everything that they need to be successful," she said.
Blackburn's first Senate race took place in 2018 when she defeated Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen by almost 11 percentage points.
Blackburn's win, where she also became Tennessee's first female U.S. senator, marked a stark rightward shift in the state's Republican Party leaders. While former GOP senators from the Volunteer State were known for taking more centrist positions, Blackburn launched her senate campaign by touting that she was a “hardcore, card-carrying Tennessee conservative" and aligned herself closely to former President Donald Trump.
"We got to make sure Tennessee families are earning a good wage, have access to affordable healthcare, have great schools for their kids, and can live in dignity in retirement. Our current senator is doing none of those things. As a matter of fact, she is out there fighting against cutting costs on our prescription drugs, especially for seniors. I can't imagine that someone would do that," said Johnson.
In 2021, Blackburn vowed to oppose the electoral college results that affirmed President Joe Biden's win but later backed down after watching the Jan. 6 insurrection unfold from inside the U.S. Capitol.
"The majority of Tennesseans are going to paint me as a big liberal, or an extremist. Marsha Blackburn is the extremist. She's not with the people," Johnson said. "Marsha Blackburn hasn't had a town hall in seven years. And I will have a town hall every year, and maybe a few times a year. My policy will come from talking to Tennesseans."
Johnson said she has not yet decided if she would run for her seat in the state House again.
Along with Johnson, Democratic community activist and organizer Marquita Bradshaw has also announced plans to run for Blackburn's seat. Bradshaw won the Democratic Senate nomination in 2020, but later lost to Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty in the general election by 27 percentage points.
"As I said, we need to respect the human dignity of every single Tennessean because I'm not just going to represent one party. I'm going to represent every single Tennessean, and I will respect their dignity as human beings, regardless of whether I agree with them or not," she said.
Blackburn's campaign spokesperson released a statement in response to Johnson's announcement:
“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," Abigail Sigler said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.