Tennessee voters are deciding whether to reelect Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn to a second term or choose Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson. Tennessee hasn’t elected a Democrat to a statewide position in nearly two decades.
FILE - Sen. Marsha Blackburn , R-Tenn., speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention, on July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. FILE - Tennessee Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, announces her candidacy to run for the U.S. Senate during an event, Sept. 5, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. FILE - Sen. Marsha Blackburn , R-Tenn., speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention, on July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. FILE - Sen. Marsha Blackburn , R-Tenn.
Blackburn has run a much more subdued campaign compared to six years ago, when an open seat forced a heated race between the Republican and former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen. Blackburn has largely avoided Johnson throughout the campaign and declined to participate in any debates with the Democrat.
Johnson gained national attention when she joined fellow Democratic state Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones as they walked to the front of the House floor with a bullhorn while hundreds of gun control advocates flooded the Capitol to show their support for putting more restrictions on firearms.
Johnson, 62, has been a critic of Blackburn’s policy positions, arguing that most Tennesseans want “common sense gun legislation” and better access to reproductive care. While on the campaign trail, Johnson also sharedto save her life in light of Tennessee enacting a sweeping abortion ban that includes only a handful of narrow exemptions. Johnson has stressed that she likely would not have been able to make that same choice under the state’s current ban.
Blackburn, 72, has opposed gun control measures throughout her political career and has deflected questions about whether she supports a national ban on abortion, saying that she supports the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a constitutional right to abortion and that the issue should be left to voters. Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, she repeatedly voted to advance a bill that would have banned abortion at 20 weeks.
Tennessee Marsha Blackburn General News Election 2024 TN State Wire Senate Elections Gun Politics Elections Politics Justin Jones 2024 United States Presidential Election Philip Bredesen U.S. News U.S. News
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