Following a prison sentence that led to a lawsuit against Tennessee, Pamela Moses is vying to represent the state in the U.S. Senate, but as an independent candidate instead of a Democrat.
Moses, an activist of Black Lives Matter and former Memphis mayoral candidate appeared in a live podcast video in late December, announcing her candidacy for the Senate in 2024.
Moses also launched a Facebook page for her campaign and is seeking volunteers to help spread the word about her candidacy and fundraising efforts.
“I’ve been in Tennessee all of my life. I’ve lived here, but I’ve traveled abroad,” Moses said. “I’m the founder of BLM Tennessee and the Memphis chapter, and I was falsely imprisoned by [a] District Attorney who was considered by Harvard to be the most vindictive prosecutor in America.”
Moses continued: “I overcame that horrible experience. And after reflecting on it, I’ve decided that I don’t want that to happen to anybody else. And locally and regionally, it’s very hard to get real change. The real change starts at the top. And so that’s one reason why I’ve been elected to run for United States Senate in Tennessee.”
The BLM Tennessee founder gained national attention for her legal case, involving a prison sentence for attempting to register to vote while on probation, unaware that it violated Tennessee state law. Her case sparked discussions about the treatment of formerly incarcerated individuals trying to restore their rights.
As for her criminal history, Moses faced charges of voter fraud after trying to regain her voting rights, which were revoked during her probation from earlier felony convictions. She received a six-year prison sentence in January 2022.
However, the charges were later dropped by Amy Weirich, the former Shelby County district attorney, following the discovery that the Tennessee Department of Correction had withheld evidence that could have cleared Moses.
Moses filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 21, alleging she was falsely arrested because of a “reckless and malicious” prosecution and accused the state and district attorneys of violating her Fourth and 14th Amendment rights.
She seeks to challenge Republican incumbent Marsha Blackburn. Moses will also face off against Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville and Civil Miller-Watkins of Fayette County, who have filed to run as Democrats, according to the Tennessee Outlook.
