Member of ‘Tennessee Three’ hopes to survive state Democratic primary for Senate seat

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s primary election Thursday will decide whether state Rep. Gloria Johnson, who shot to national fame after surviving a Republican-led expulsion effort for her participation in a gun control protest, will become the Democratic nominee in a fall matchup for the seat held by Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who must first clear her own primary contest.

The primary will also determine whether Republican Rep. Andy Ogles will be able to defeat a well-funded opponent, Nashville council member Courtney Johnston, as he pursues a second term in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

In the Senate race, Johnson faces Marquita Bradshaw, a Memphis community activist and organizer who notably won the Democratic Senate nomination in 2020 then lost to Republican Bill Hagerty by a wide margin. Other Democrats running are Civil Miller-Watkins and Lola Denise Brown.

Last year, days after a school shooting that killed three children and three adults, Johnson joined fellow Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones as they walked to the front of the state House floor with a bullhorn. The trio joined the chants and cries for gun control legislation by protesters in the public galleries and outside of the chamber.

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