Gloria Johnson (born May 25, 1962) is an American politician and Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives currently representing District 90, and formerly District 13, based in

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

. In April 2023, she and two other state representatives faced expulsion votes from the Tennessee General Assembly after taking to the floor of the State House unrecognized to protest gun violence. Johnson was the only one of the three legislators not to be expelled. Johnson is currently seeking the Democratic Party nomination for the

2024 United States Senate election in Tennessee The 2024 United States Senate elections are scheduled to be held on November 5, 2024, as part of the 2024 United States elections. 33 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested in regular elections, the winners of which will serve six- ...

currently held by incumbent Republican

Marsha Blackburn Mary Marsha Blackburn (née Wedgeworth; born June 6, 1952) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the senior United States senator from Tennessee, a seat she has held since 2019. She is a member of the Republican Party. Blackbur ...

Tennessee House of Representatives

In 2012, Johnson was elected to represent District 13 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. She lost re-election to Eddie Smith in 2014. Following a failed attempt in 2016, Johnson defeated Smith in 2018. She was re-elected in 2020. Following redistricting, Johnson's residence became located in District 15, which already had a Democratic incumbent. Because of this, Johnson moved to District 90 and won the seat in 2022. In January 2021, Johnson was assigned a small, windowless conference room for use as her office in the

Cordell Hull State Office Building The Cordell Hull State Office Building is a historic building in Nashville, Tennessee. Location The building is located on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol, at 425 Rep. John Lewis Way North in Nashville, Tennessee.Phil WilliamsStudy Off ...

. Johnson disagreed with the room she was given, and alleged her assignment to it was retribution from State House Speaker

Cameron Sexton Cameron Sexton (born November 11, 1970) is an American politician serving as a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 25th district. He is the 83rd and current Speaker of the House in the Tennessee House of Represen ...

after she was the only representative to abstain from voting for Sexton in the speakership election. Johnson instead moved her desk to the hallway outside and gave the room to her assistant, who was originally given a non-connecting closet for her office. In 2022, following a year-long campaign, she was assigned a new office space, subsequent to an

ADA compliance The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

complaint. Following reportage of Rutherford County, Tennessee juvenile arrest and incarceration scandal, in January 2022, with Senator Heidi Campbell, she filed a joint resolution to remove juvenile court Judge

Donna Scott Davenport Donna Scott Davenport (born Scott) is the first judge to have overseen the Rutherford County, Tennessee juvenile justice system, filling the newly created position in 2000. She is also a former adjunct professor at her ''alma mater'', Middle Tennes ...

from the bench.

Expulsion vote

During a legislative session three days after the 2023 Covenant School shooting, Johnson and fellow Democratic representatives Justin Jones and

Justin Pearson Justin Pearson (born August 20, 1975) is a vocalist and bassist known for his music career, playing in a number of San Diego-based noise rock, punk and grindcore bands, as well as his record label Three One G Records. Starting off in the punk ...

led a gun control protest on the House floor. The demonstration violated the chamber's decorum rules, as the three members were not recognized to speak and utilized a bullhorn. Subsequently, House leadership stripped Johnson and Jones of their committee assignments (Pearson did not serve on any committees), and resolutions to expel the three were drawn up. During her interview with ''

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

'' a day before her expulsion vote, Johnson accused House Republicans of

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

and said she believed Tennessee was less democratic than

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. Jones and Pearson were expelled while Johnson avoided expulsion by the margin of a single vote.

U.S. Senate campaign

In late July 2023, it was reported Johnson would launch a campaign the following month to challenge Senator

in the 2024 election. In early August, Johnson launched an exploratory committee in preparation for a Senate run. On September 5, Johnson formally launched her senate campaign.

Tennessee House of Representatives

Expulsion vote

U.S. Senate campaign

Electoral history

2011 – 2020

2022 – present

References

External links