A third Democrat has joined the U.S. Senate race. The Nashville Post’s Stephen Elliott reports Diana Onyejiaka, a Nashville consultant and professor, has filed federal paperwork to join the race to succeed retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Maryville).

Nashville attorney James Mackler, who stepped aside from the open 2018 race to make way for former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen, joined the 2020 race in January. He’s raised close to $900,000 and spent $611,000 on that effort so far. Memphis environmentalist Marquita Bradshaw announced she was joining the race last month.

Another Democrat is running for U.S. Senate: Diana Onyejiaka, a Nashville-based consultant and professor, filed campaign paperwork with the FEC on Monday https://t.co/VudpgU6Y0k pic.twitter.com/zSdOpfWrjD

— Nashville Post Politics (@NPostPolitics) October 22, 2019

Elliott reports Onyejiaka’s firm, DC Consult, helped organize this year’s U.S.-Africa Business Opportunities and Exchange Conference at Tennessee State University this year. The daughter of Nigerian immigrants has taught law and government courses as an adjunct professor at TSU and Middle Tennessee State University.

“I felt like there was a need to have somebody like myself representing the state of Tennessee,” she told the Post. 

“A Democrat can win this race by speaking to the issues and not getting political,” Onyejiaka said. “I’m running as a public servant.”