State Rep. Gloria Johnson wins high-profile Democratic Senate primary in Tennessee

State Rep. Gloria Johnson emerged the victor in Tennessee’s closely watched Democratic Senate primary and will take on incumbent Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn in November’s election.

Johnson took home the victory by garnering 74% of the vote over challengers Marquita Bradshaw, Civil Miller-Watkins and Lola Brown, at the time the race was called by the Associated Press Thursday night.

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The race garnered interest from Democrats nationwide after Johnson, who was seen as the front-runner in the race, attracted widespread attention last year by staging a protest on the floor of the Republican-controlled state House in the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a Tennessee elementary school. 

Johnson’s protest was joined by two other lawmakers, state Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, both Democrats, who together became known as the “Tennessee Three.” Pearson and Jones were both expelled for violating House rules after the protest, though they were later reappointed.

Johnson’s toughest primary challenger was thought to be Bradshaw, an environmental activist who secured the party’s nomination in 2020 before being soundly defeated by incumbent Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty. 

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Johnson will now have an uphill climb in the heavily Republican-leaning state. Blackburn won her race in 2018 by 11 points, while Hagerty defeated Bradshaw by a whopping 30 points in 2020. Two years later, incumbent Republican Gov. Bill Lee won reelection by more than 30 points as well, while former President Donald Trump carried the state in both 2016 and 2020 by 26 and 23 points, respectively.

Blackburn is a heavy favorite in her own primary against former Tennessee legislative staffer Tres Wittum, the only challenger to the incumbent Republican.

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Blackburn also has a significant fundraising advantage over all the state’s senate hopefuls, having close to $9 million cash on hand. Johnson, meanwhile, has raised about $5 million and still has over $2 million on hand.

But Johnson has expressed optimism that Blackburn can be defeated, arguing that Democrats can win by focusing on issues such as abortion, gun control, and the environment.

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