State Rep. Gloria Johnson (R-Knoxville) formed an exploratory committee for her expected run for U.S. Senate, and a Nashville insider told The Tennessee Star that Johnson is expected to use the upcoming special session of the General Assembly as a bully pulpit to raise the profile of her campaign.
“I’ve been told by people in the general assembly that say that she’s officially announcing the day before session, and then she’s going to roll right into session and grandstand and make the session about her campaign,” the source told The Star, adding that Johnson is expected to “ham it up with her two buddies,” referring to Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Knoxville).
Johnson, Jones and Pearson led a riot at the state capitol in March while demanding gun control in the wake of the mass shooting at The Covenant Presbyterian School.
Jones and Pearson were expelled from the legislature following the riot, which Johnson was spared by a narrow margin. Both Jones and Pearson recently won special elections to permanently regain their seats.
Johnson is expected to run against Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Rumors of her potential run began swirling in late July.
“At the urging of Washington liberals, Gloria Johnson has taken another critical step towards joining liberal Democrat Marquita Bradshaw in the Tennessee Senate Democratic Primary,” Abigail Sigler, a Blackburn campaign spokeswoman, told The Star. “Both of them are radical socialists who are aligned with Joe Biden’s failed policies that are making Tennesseans’ lives tougher every day. Tennesseans know that Senator Blackburn will continue championing conservative values and fighting for their families.”
The upcoming special session of the General Assembly is likely to be a contentious one, with Democrats demanding gun control and Gov. Bill Lee (R) looking to compromise.
Lee has peddled red flag laws since the shooting at The Covenant School, and has urged Republican lawmakers to craft a bill to that effect.
Lee said in April:
“Today, I visited with [Metro Nashville Police Department] & outlined next steps to secure schools & protect Tennesseans.
1. I’m asking the TN legislature to pursue a new ‘Order of Protection Law’ to separate dangerous individuals from firearms, while preserving constitutional rights,” he said.
2. I also signed an Executive Order to ensure the existing background check process provides TN law enforcement with up-to-date information & more closely guarantees the safe, lawful purchase of firearms.
Republican lawmakers have described any such legislation as a “non-starter.”
Meanwhile, Tennessee Democrats are gearing up for the session with a statewide bus tour to address the issue while fanatical gun control leftists prepare to cause chaos in Nashville.
Despite requests to cancel the special session, it is still planned to begin on August 21.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Gloria Johnson” by Gloria Johnson.
