NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NEWSnet/AP) — Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson  formally announced she is running for U.S. Senate.

Johnson, 61, is running for a seat held by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn. 

Johnson shot to national fame after surviving an expulsion effort for participating in a pro-gun-control demonstration

In April, days after a school shooting that killed six, Johnson joined fellow Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones as they walked to the front of the state House floor with a bullhorn, demanding gun-control legislation.

The violation of House protocol sparked outrage among Republican lawmakers, who demanded they be expelled for violating House rules. It led to the trio being dubbed “Tennessee Three.”

Pearson and Jones were expelled, Johnson was spared from expulsion by one vote.

In the Democratic primary for the Senate seat, Johnson will face community activist and organizer Marquita Bradshaw. Bradshaw won the Democratic Senate nomination in 2020, and lost the general election to Republican Bill Hagerty by 27 percentage points.

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