Here’s what Blackburn and Johnson’s ads say about their priorities in U.S. Senate standoff

Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn for one of Tennessee’s two U.S. Senate seats.

The ads the candidates have released so far reflect their priorities — with Johnson making her case on Tennessee issues, and Blackburn campaigning on her national record.

Many of Johnson’s ads emphasize her career as a teacher, not a politician.

She frames herself as a champion of the everyday Tennessean, talking about issues like healthcare costs, reproductive rights and education.

The spots feel local, with one tying back to the Covenant School shooting and her role as a member of the so-called Tennessee Three.

“When my friends and I believed mothers and fathers who’d lost children at Covenant deserved a voice and we fought for it, they expelled them,” Johnson said in one of her ads.

More: Johnson, one of the so-called Tennessee 3, will face Blackburn in U.S. Senate race

By contrast, Blackburn’s ads mainly focus on issues with a national scope — touting her record since taking office in 2019 as the first woman to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.

One is about how tough she is on China.

(It’s worth noting: Chinese-owned land is a tiny fraction of all foreign-owned land in the U.S and an NPR investigation didn’t find any in Tennessee.)

Another ad, narrated by a former pro wrestler and current mayor of Knox County, praises her toughness on border security.

Even though control of the U.S. Senate is up for grabs this November, this race probably won’t decide that balance of power. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Tennessee since 2006.