Johnson Marches Uphill in Effort to Unseat Blackburn

Lopsided U.S. Senate race leaves candidates campaigning in different realities

Gloria Johnson, left, and Marsha BlackburnPhotos: Hamilton Matthew Masters

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Johnson’s campaign, directed by veteran organizer Cyrus Shick, aims to win on two fronts. First, the longshot race at the ballot, where Blackburn is favored by double-digit margins. Second, by claiming the bread-and-butter issues like health care affordability and economic mobility for Democrats in Tennessee’s 95 counties, where Johnson has spent months stumping.

“Tennessee families have been ignored for a long time,” Johnson tells the Scene three weeks before Election Day. “Republicans in this state fight for corporations, lobbyists and the wealthy. Marsha Blackburn, a multimillionaire, thinks $7.25 an hour is an acceptable wage. She voted against capping insulin at $35. She opposes negotiating drug prices for senior citizens. She voted to repeal the [Affordable Care Act] multiple times. These are things Tennesseans desperately need — we need someone in D.C. who understands how most Tennesseans live.”

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Tennessee’s lopsided Republican advantage has allowed Blackburn to avoid one topic in particular: the mere existence of her opponent. A $5 million cash advantage, deep-pocketed corporate donors, incumbent connections, elevated party status and Tennessee’s Trump streak afford Blackburn tangible luxuries like chartering private planes with campaign funds. They also generate organic publicity and name recognition for Blackburn that enable her to avoid unfriendly spaces altogether. Blackburn’s knack for hyperpartisan scorn earns her regular free media appearances on Fox News, beaming straight to Tennessee living rooms. While Johnson crisscrosses the state shaking hands and meeting voters, the Blackburn campaign clearly sees running out the clock as a winning strategy.

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Blackburn sat for a friendly interview with The Tennessean’s David Plazas in 2020, but reportedly refused the paper's requests during this campaign cycle. Multiple news outlets, including The Tennessean, report that her campaign has ignored or declined requests for a debate with Johnson, reinforcing the central story of this year’s Senate race — the two candidates are operating in different realities.

https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/coverstory/gloria-johnson-marsha-blackburn-senate-race/article_9bb73258-9631-11ef-85a0-c720aed8aa12.html