Tennessee state Representative Gloria Johnson, the older, female member of the now-infamous “Tennessee Three” trio who was spared expulsion from the state House in April on account of whitness while younger Black compatriots Justins Pearson and Jones were kicked out over a gun violence protest in the state Capitol, on Tuesday officially launched her campaign to take on incumbent “life coach” dipshit Senator Marsha Blackburn in 2024, the Tennessean reports.
One might want to say “What the fuck? Why her and not one of the other two?” and understandably so given Johnson’s apparent health issues and race, not to mention age. However age is actually the problem as Jones was born on August 25, 1995 and would be constitutionally ineligible to serve in the Senate. So would Pearson, born January 7, 1995, four freaking days too late to qualify to be sworn in to the Senate on January 3, 2025. There’s also the political environment where it’s probably simply just not the year that a Dem is going to take down Blackburn. We would love to be wrong about this, but if Johnson can soften Blackburn and position Jones or Pearson for a stronger, more energetic run against the other Republican in a few years then it won’t be a waste of an effort.