Tennessee Black Lives Matter activist and former Memphis mayoral candidate Pamela Moses is running for U.S. Senate as an independent candidate. She will seek to challenge Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) and the Democratic Party nominee.
A Facebook page for Moses’ campaign has been active since November 20, and on December 30 she appeared in a live stream to confirm her candidacy. Federal filings reveal she filed paperwork for her Senate run in 2023.
In her live stream appearance, Moses noted, “There’s never been a black, indigenous, native ever to hold that seat. The first woman, that holds that seat right now, is not even from Tennessee.” She declared, “That’s how oppressive this state is.”
Moses said she started the original Black Lives Matter chapter in Tennessee because she has “two black sons, and I have one that was around the age of Trayvon Martin,” and was “triggered” to become an activist by the 2012 death of Martin.
On social media, Moses compares herself to Robert F. Kennedy, the independent presidential candidate. Tagging Kennedy on social media, Moses wrote, “I’m still here” while including hashtags promoting her and Kennedy’s political campaigns. Moses also shared a video from Kennedy’s campaign with her followers, and in another post wrote that she has “always admired and respected” the Kennedy family, claiming “it’s mutual.”
In a December 22 post, Moses appeared to criticize the Democratic Party, noting it “has plenty of money to spend on tearing Donald J. Trump down,” and declaring she does not “have time, energy, or money” to engage in similar behavior. “I’m not running any smear campaigns,” Moses promised. “I’m too busy running for the people [and] the soul of America.”
Moses referred to Blackburn as a “racist, homophobic witch” in a subsequent post.
Though she is an independent candidate, Moses appears to use ActBlue, the leading fundraising platform for Democrats and those ideologically aligned with the party.
Moses’ entry into the race may prove ineffectual, as a recent poll showed Blackburn with a 20-point lead over Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), her likely Democratic challenger.
A previously convicted criminal, who pleaded guilty to felony counts of tampering with evidence and forgery alongside two misdemeanor counts of perjury, stalking, theft of under $500, and escape, Moses in 2022 was sentenced to more than six years in prison for illegally registering to vote in Tennessee. However, the charges were eventually dropped after exculpatory evidence was purportedly discovered, and Moses launched a lawsuit against the State of Tennessee, former Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich and current District Attorney Steve Mulroy.
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to pappert.tom@proton.me.
Photo “Pamela Moses” by Pamela Moses.
