{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Gloria Johnson","chatgptsummary":"Gloria Johnson's twenty-seven-year career as a special education teacher and her tenure in the Tennessee House since 2012 demonstrate direct experience with constituent concerns regarding education and safety. Her role in the \"Tennessee Three\" protest illustrates persuasive engagement during legislative crises, while her chairmanship of the county Democratic Party suggests coalition-building skills within her party. The biography documents no disciplinary record or controversy beyond the 2023 floor protest. Bio does not indicate experience drafting specific statute language or negotiating cross-partisan compromises with opposing leadership.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nGloria Johnson is a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for District 90 (Knoxville, Knox County), a seat she has held since November 8, 2022, and currently holds [1][2]. She is running for reelection in the Democratic primary scheduled for August 6, 2026 [1]. In 2024, while serving in the state House, she also ran for the U.S. Senate (Class 1) seat held by Republican incumbent Marsha Blackburn: Johnson won the Democratic primary on August 1, 2024, with about 70% of the vote, then lost the November 5, 2024 general election to Blackburn, 63.8%-34.2% [3][4].\n\n## Background and education\nJohnson was born May 25, 1962, in Denver, Colorado [1]. She earned a bachelor's degree in special education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville [1].\n\n## Career\nJohnson worked for 27 years as a special education teacher, including at Knoxville's Central High School during a 2008 school shooting there [1]. She chaired the Knox County Democratic Party for two terms [1].\n\n## Office history\nJohnson first won a Tennessee House seat representing District 13 in 2012, lost reelection to Eddie Smith in 2014, defeated Smith to reclaim the seat in 2018, and was reelected in 2020. Following 2022 redistricting, she won the newly configured District 90 and has held it since [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nIn April 2023, Johnson joined Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson in a gun-control protest on the House floor, using a bullhorn without recognition, three days after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville; the three became known as the \"Tennessee Three.\" Jones and Pearson were expelled by the Republican supermajority; Johnson survived her own expulsion vote by a single vote [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Gloria Johnson (politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Johnson_(politician)) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Representative Gloria Johnson - Tennessee General Assembly](https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/LegislatorInfo/member?district=h90) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [2024 United States Senate election in Tennessee - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_Senate_election_in_Tennessee) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [Marsha Blackburn tops Gloria Johnson, wins re-election - Nashville Banner](https://nashvillebanner.com/2024/11/05/marsha-blackburn-re-elected-senate-seat/) - accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"Gloria","lastname":"Johnson","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"gUCBjdX6mU"},"token":"gloria_johnson"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":"090","districtgroup":"state_house","districtgroupname":"State House","districtname":"District 90","job_type":"state_representative","o.office":"state_house_090","office":"state_house_090","officedescription":"The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the state legislature, with 99 members elected from single-member districts to two-year terms. Representatives pass state laws, originate revenue bills, approve the state budget, and \u2014 together with the Senate \u2014 confirm gubernatorial appointments and propose constitutional amendments. Candidates must be at least 21 years old, U.S. citizens, Tennessee residents for at least three years, and district residents for at least one year.","officequalities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"State Representative District 90","partisan":1,"pgr":"primary","quantity":null,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-06-01","title":"TN SoS \u2014 Candidates for Tennessee House of Representatives (2026)","url":"https://sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com/s3fs-public/document/TNHouse_2026.pdf"},"title":"TN House District 90"}