Gloria Johnson

Gloria Johnson is a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 90. She first assumed office on Jan. 8, 2013, representing District 13, lost her 2014 re-election and a 2016 run, and then won the seat again in 2018 and 2020. Following redistricting, she moved to District 90 in 2022 and won her election there. Johnson announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in September 2023, losing in the 2024 general election.

Johnson was born on May 25, 1962, in Denver, Colorado. She earned a bachelor's degree in special education and teaching from the University of Tennessee in 1986.

Johnson's career experience includes working as a consultant with Change Driven Strategies, a caregiver with Seniors Helping Seniors, and a special education teacher with Central High School in Fountain City. She has served as the chair of the Knox County Democratic Party and as a board member of Emerge TN and the TN Women's Political Caucus.

In the aftermath of a school shooting in Nashville, three Democratic lawmakers took to the floor of the Republican-controlled Tennessee House chamber in late March 2023 to rally for stricter gun control. Republicans moved to expel the three Democrats from the legislature, and on April 6, two of them, Representatives Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson, were ousted in votes that passed largely along party lines. The third lawmaker, Representative Gloria Johnson, narrowly avoided expulsion by one vote. Johnson remains an active representative of Tennessee’s 90th district.

Ballotpedia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://ballotpedia.org/Gloria_Johnson_(Tennessee)

Fawcett, E., & Cochrane, E. (2023, April 6). Tennessee house expulsions: What you need to know. The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/article/tennessee-house-democrats-expulsion-shooting-gun-control.html Gloria Johnson.