Gloria Johnson

Born to Foster Change

Gloria Johnson was born into a family who taught her to put people first no matter the cost or their differences. Throughout her childhood she remembers KKK members terrorizing her family because her dad investigated Klan members in the Deep South and brought them to justice. It was through this experience that Johnson was motivated to later stand up for the disenfranchised and those who couldn’t fight for themselves. She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in special education and teaching from the University of Tennessee in 1986. Johnson worked as a special education teacher for 27 years prior to becoming a legislator. She noticed that the voices of teachers were under attack and elected officials were stripping away the rights of public school teachers and students. Johnson decided enough was enough and ran for the Tennessee House in 2012. She was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives representing District 13 in Knoxville.  

Demanding Justice for Tennesseans

Since her election to Tennessee House, Johnson has been fighting to hold extreme politicians and special interests accountable. During the aftermath of a shooter opening fire and killing three students and three adults at a Tennessee elementary school, she spoke out at the August 2023 special legislative session, to state House leadership against Republicans who are more concerned with protecting guns than the lives of innocent children. Johnson became a part of what the world now knows at the “Tennessee Three,” a group of Democratic lawmakers who demanded that their Republican colleagues be held accountable and pass gun safety measures to protect our children. She is known for her activism and willingness to not back down from any fight. Johnson is a justice warrior on the front lines who puts the interests of Tennesseans first. She is committed to working for middle class families, enacting common sense gun safety legislation, and protecting women’s reproductive rights across the nation. Johnson believes every citizen should have access to affordable health care, lower prescription drugs and housing costs, and further investments in our public schools and teachers. 

Send Sen. Marsha Blackburn Home

State Rep. Gloria Johnson is running for the Tennessee U.S. Senate seat currently held by anti-abortion extremist Sen. Marsha Blackburn. We need Johnson in the U.S. Senate to fight for workers and the middle class, and to protect reproductive rights. Unlike Blackburn, Johnson will ensure that women across the country have access to birth control, IVF, and the right to an abortion. Johnson is a proven leader who is passionate about working on behalf of her constituents and will stop at nothing to ensure the work is done and that their voices are heard. EMILYs List is honored to stand with Johnson in this critical election and we can’t wait to witness the change she will enact in the U.S. Senate.