NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The upcoming election in Tennessee will determine whether Republican U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn will secure a second term, or if Democratic state Representative Gloria Johnson will take her place.
The state has not elected a Democrat to any statewide office for nearly twenty years, but Johnson is banking on her recent rise to prominence after her near-expulsion from the state legislature last year to capture the voters’ attention.
In contrast to her vigorous campaign six years ago, Blackburn has opted for a more low-key approach this time around. During that previous election, she faced off against former Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen in a contentious race sparked by an open Senate seat. This campaign, Blackburn has largely kept her distance from Johnson and has notably avoided engaging in debates with her opponent.
Johnson gained significant national recognition when she participated in a demonstration on the House floor alongside fellow Democratic Representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones. Armed with a bullhorn, they rallied for stricter gun control measures as they were greeted by hundreds of advocates who had gathered at the Capitol following a tragic school shooting that claimed six lives, including those of three young children, at a private Christian elementary institution in Nashville.
The protest, which violated House rules, led to a fervent backlash from Republican lawmakers who called for the expulsion of the three representatives, a drastic measure that had been seldom used since the Reconstruction era. The confrontation between the Democratic representatives and the Republican-dominated legislature drew widespread media attention, enhancing the visibility of the now-famous group known as the “Tennessee Three.”
At 62, Johnson has been vocal against Blackburn’s policy positions, claiming that many citizens in Tennessee are in favor of “common sense gun legislation” and expanded reproductive health care access. During her campaign, Johnson has frequently recounted her personal experience of requiring an abortion for her health, especially in light of Tennessee’s comprehensive abortion prohibitions, which have only a limited number of exceptions. She has highlighted that under the current law, she likely would not have had the same opportunity to make that critical decision.
On the other hand, Blackburn, aged 72, has consistently opposed gun control initiatives throughout her political career. She has sidestepped inquiries regarding her stance on national abortion bans, asserting her support for the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that revoked the constitutional right to abortion and calling for the matter to be decided by the electorate. Prior to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she had voted multiple times to advance legislation to restrict abortion after 20 weeks.
Blackburn’s victory in 2018 was historic, as it marked the first occasion a woman was elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee.