Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN) re-election campaign released a statement Tuesday following reports that State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) would announce her Democratic bid for Senate later in the day.
“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,” Blackburn campaign spokesman Abigail Sigler said in a statement. “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,” Sigler added.
The Democrats in the #TNSen race are as woke as they come.
Full #TeamMarsha statement: pic.twitter.com/tTprs4khZY
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) September 5, 2023
Blackburn, who serves as the Volunteer State’s first elected female U.S. Senator, was first elected to the Senate in 2018, defeating former Governor Phil Bredesen (D) by nearly 11 points.
Johnson, one of the “Tennessee Three” lawmakers who commandeered the House floor to demand gun control in the wake of the Covenant School earlier this year, has been teasing a run against Blackburn for months.
Blackburn’s campaign has spoken out against Johnson’s anticipated bid in the past, previously telling The Star that the state lawmaker isn’t right for the job.
“Senator Blackburn looks forward to making her case of why Tennesseans should re-elect her as their Senator. She has a record of serving Tennessee families and championing conservative values,” Sigler said in July. “Marquita Bradshaw and Gloria Johnson are liberal Democrats who are out of step with the people of Tennessee and are aligned with Joe Biden’s failed policies that are making their lives tougher every single day.”
Ward Baker, who served as Blackburn’s campaign strategist in 2018 and formerly headed the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), commented on Johnson’s bid Tuesday, writing on Twitter, “@VoteMarsha will never be outworked, and she is doing a phenomenal job fighting for Tennessee conservatives. The member of the #socialist3 who just announced is as woke as they come and completely out of step with Tennesseans.”
.@VoteMarsha will never be outworked, and she is doing a phenomenal job fighting for Tennessee conservatives.
The member of the #socialist3 who just announced is as woke as they come and completely out of step with Tennesseans.— Ward Baker (@WardBaker) September 5, 2023
Johnson will compete against environmental justice advocate Marquita Bradshaw, who was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020, and others for the Democratic nomination.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
I’ve seen enough of Ms. Johnson’s antics to know that I’ll support Ms. Blackburn.