While many eyes are trained on the Republican presidential primary and eventual showdown between the GOP nominee and (presumably) Joe Biden, there are other 2024 races heating up as more candidates announce their bids for U.S. House and Senate seats up in the next major election.
In Tennessee, the Democrat field jockeying for the chance to challenge U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn is getting crowded — and skewing more to the left — with the addition of State Representative Gloria Johnson — one of the radical "Tennessee Three" that established itself as a Squad-like group in the Volunteer State — who announced her candidacy on Tuesday.
Indeed, Johnson was previously ranked as "the most liberal member of the state House" by a Sunlight Foundation grading of state legislators' ideology. With her votes, Johnson's far-left ideology is made even more clear. She voted against a bill to prohibit "non-United States citizens from voting in federal, state, or local elections" in Tennessee, for example. She also voted against a resolution urging Congress to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
On fiscal policy, Johnson has voted against bills to protect Volunteer State residents from higher taxes as a result of mismanagement and against a measure to cut payroll taxes.
In addition, Johnson has taken up the fight to allow biological males to complete in women's sports in public schools, including middle and high schools as well as colleges and universities in Tennessee. Her other votes on education policy saw her oppose transparency about what students are learning and vote against a bill to strengthen security at schools in Tennessee.
On the issue of abortion, Johnson has voted against a "heartbeat" bill, against a prohibition on taxpayer funding for abortion, and against stronger protections for the unborn.
"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," remarked Blackburn campaign spokesperson Abigail Sigler after Tuesday's announcement. "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," emphasized Sigler. "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," she added.
Johnson and the other Democrats seeking to represent the Volunteer State in the United States Senate will face off in the state's primary election on Thursday, August 1, 2024. The winner of that leftward-lurching contest will face Blackburn on November 5.
Then-U.S. Representative Blackburn was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 when she beat Democrat nominee and former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen with 54.7 percent of the vote to the Democrat's 43.9 percent.