Marsha Blackburn cruises to reelection victory

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The polls have only just closed this Election Day, but Tennessee’s U.S. Senate incumbent will return to Washington for another six years.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn easily defeated a challenge from Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) by an overwhelming margin.

Johnson announced she would challenge Blackburn for the U.S. Senate race in September of 2023. She floated the possibility of a Blackburn challenge in July, shortly after she narrowly escaped expulsion from the Tennessee General Assembly, unlike the two other members of the “Tennessee Three,” State Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis).

The three were put to expulsion votes in April after they staged a short protest of a lack of action on gun control measures following the Covenant School shooting that left six people, including three children, dead.

Jones and Pearson were both expelled but shortly reelected back to their seats in special elections in Davidson and Shelby counties, respectively.

Johnson was looking to become the second woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, following Blackburn’s historic election in 2018. Blackburn defeated former Democratic governor Phil Bredesen for the open Senate seat that year.

Blackburn became Tennessee’s senior senator in 2021 after the retirement of longtime Senator Lamar Alexander.