In 2023, Tennessee State Representatives Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, and Gloria Johnson were dubbed the Tennessee Three. They came under fire from Republicans who control the Tennessee legislature for pushing for gun control measures following a tragic school shooting. And while Representative Johnson narrowly escaped expulsion, her colleagues didn’t.
Thankfully, Jones and Pearson were reelected to their seats, because we need them all in Tennessee now more than ever.
Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson stopped by Lincoln Square with Susan J. Demas to shine a light on the push from Republicans, following their counterparts in several other Southern states and redraw Congressional lines in the wake of the SCOTUS Callais decision. And she certainly isn’t pulling any punches. Here she was last week on the Tennessee House floor calling out this maneuver for what it is — a “white power grab.”
While this is deeply disturbing, especially heading into the midterms, Representative Johnson is optimistic. “What they’ve done in a midterm election is perhaps created more potential than they ever imagined for Democrats, especially at a time when this president is so unpopular. When grocery costs are higher than they’ve been in years, when Tennessee is seeing record electricity bills, utility bills are off the charts in Tennessee.”
Representative Johnson, we hope you’re right.
Check out this behind the scenes look at what the Tennessee Republicans are attempting and what we can all do to help her state and others in the South, right here on Lincoln Square.
