Progressive champion Gloria Johnson has announced today that she is entering the race to win back the 13th District State House seat. Johnson was first elected in 2012 to serve the 13th district. In 2014 she narrowly lost her seat to Republican Eddie Smith by just 182 votes. Johnson tried once again in 2016 once again losing by a razor thin margin of just 151 votes.
Johnson has released the following statement via her face book page along with this Groundhog Day themed video that shows Johnson re-living the same day and same problems caused by the Republican legislature.
Hello Friends-
I want to let you all know that I am running for State House 13 in 2018!
I chose today because it is Groundhog Day and today Tennesseans woke up just like they did yesterday and the day before. Like Bill Murray in that classic movie, Tennesseans know that their futures will not change because the Republican led legislature is focusing this day just like they did the last, on the wrong priorities for Tennessee.
That paragraph might sound familiar to you, and it should. I wrote those words on Groundhog Day in 2016 when I announced my last campaign, and Tennesseans are still without affordable healthcare, public education is still not fully funded, and though many states increased their wage on January 1, 2018, Tennessee was not one of them.
We must work together to improve this state for Tennessee’s working families. We must expand Medicaid in our state: for the 300,000 without healthcare, to keep our hospitals open, and to help fight the opioid crisis. We must fully fund and support public education and find ways to ensure every child has equal opportunity for a world-class education. We must raise wages so Tennessee families don’t have to decide between buying groceries and paying rent.
I know that together we can make this happen, especially with all the amazing new energy that has powered us through the last year together. It’s going to take all of us, and I can’t wait to work with you all to move Tennessee forward. This is why I am waking up determined to spend my day today, just as I will the next-committed to fighting for a future that is in the best interest of all Tennesseans. It’s time to stop reliving the same day over and over, that’s why I am running for HD13.
See you on the trail!
Gloria Johnson
