State Rep. Gloria Johnson will face off against U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn in November.

Why it matters: Johnson, who gained a national profile last year as part of the so-called "Tennessee Three," easily won the Democratic Senate primary yesterday. The Associated Press called the race 13 minutes after polls closed in Nashville.

• Johnson's most prominent opponent was Marquita Bradshaw, who ran against Sen. Bill Hagerty in 2020.
• Blackburn, who is running for her second term in office, faced only nominal opposition in the Republican primary. She is the odds-on favorite to win in the general election.

State of play: Johnson, a retired teacher, focused her campaign around abortion access, lowering prescription costs and fighting for gun reforms.

• Blackburn's campaign has cast Johnson as a "radical socialist."

Flashback: Tennessee Democrats have not come close to winning a Senate seat since Harold Ford narrowly lost to Bob Corker in 2006.

• Six years ago, former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen lost to Blackburn by more than 10 points.

Zoom in: Johnson has been a vocal critic of the Republican supermajority in the state legislature for years.

• In 2023, she joined Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson in a protest on the House floor to express frustration with the lack of willingness to take up gun reform legislation after the mass shooting at The Covenant School mass shooting.
• Republicans temporarily expelled Jones and Pearson. Johnson narrowly escaped expulsion.

Johnson's campaign built on that experience, saying she was "not afraid to stand up to anyone."

• In a statement yesterday, Blackburn said she would "continue to champion conservative, America First policies," per The AP.

The big picture: Johnson is simultaneously running for U.S. Senate and to retain her Tennessee House seat. She represents the Knoxville area.

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U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles fended off a well-funded challenge from one of Nashville's most prominent Republicans to win the House District 5 primary.

Why it matters: Ogles, who has the endorsement of former President Trump, could be in a position to hold the seat for a long time.

Driving the news: Ogles defeated Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston, who had the backing of prominent Nashville business leaders.

• The AP called the race at 8:24pm.

State of play: Ogles fought through a crowded Republican primary to win the newly drawn District 5 seat two years ago. His first term in office has been defined in part by controversy over his resume and his campaign finance disclosures.

• Some of the bullet points on Ogles' resume appear to be embellished, according to reporting by NewsChannel 5.
• He also got in hot water over discrepancies in his campaign finance disclosures. Ogles amended his disclosures earlier this year by removing a $300,000 personal loan, which he'd previously reported.

Zoom out: Ogles, the former conservative activist and mayor of Maury County, is a member of the Freedom Caucus.

• In his early time in office, he developed a track record of taking positions on the hard right of the political spectrum.
• For instance, he filed articles of impeachment against Vice President Kamala Harris — a proposal with no apparent traction in the House.

Zoom in: The election laid bare Ogles' unpopularity in Nashville, where Johnston won by a wide margin. Ogles ran up advantages in the areas outside Davidson County.

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Zach Young scored a historic win in the Nashville school board election.

• With the win, Young becomes the first out LGBTQ school board candidate to win an election in Tennessee history, according to the advocacy group the Victory Fund.

Why it matters: Young makes history at the same time the Republican-majority legislature routinely files bills opposed by LGBTQ groups, such as a proposal last year aiming to ban pride flags in public school classrooms.

Between the lines: In addition to Young, Robert Taylor, TK Fayne, Freda Player and Abigail Tylor were elected to the school board.

• Taylor is the only candidate who ran opposed. It was another clean sweep for Democrats in the second election since Nashville school board races became partisan.

Zoom out: Shaundelle Brooks defeated Tyler Brasher in the Democratic primary race to replace state Rep. Darren Jernigan. Chad Bobo won the GOP primary.

Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry won her Democratic primary in the District 7 U.S. House race. It is Barry's first election since she resigned as mayor in 2018.

• She'll face U.S. Rep. Mark Green, the Republican incumbent, in the general election.

🍎 Tennessee students receiving vouchers to attend private school made modest academic gains but still trail their public school peers. (Tennessean)

✈️ Nashville International Airport broke another travel record with a combined 23.7 million inbound and outbound passengers for the fiscal year ending June 30. (Nashville Business Journal, subscription)

🍺 Hoppin', a beer-centric restaurant, is planning a new location in the Gulch. (Nashville Post, subscription)

Carrie Underwood is returning to "American Idol" as a judge next year, the show announced yesterday.

Why it matters: Underwood vaulted from "Idol" to superstardom after winning season four in 2005. She's been a darling of Music Row ever since.

• She is the first contestant ever to serve as a permanent member of the judges' panel. She'll join fellow country performer Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

The big picture: Underwood's "Idol" win was a seismic moment for the show and for country music. She became a titan of the genre at a time when women artists struggled to break through, and her powerhouse vocals set a new standard for Nashville stars.

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