Marsha Blackburn officially announces run for Tennessee governor
Nashville Post

Marsha Blackburn officially launched her campaign for governor on Wednesday morning after months of speculation.

In her first campaign ad, Blackburn touts her connection to Donald Trump, and the president even appears before her in the video shared on social media. The one-and-a-half-minute-long clip lays out Blackburn’s plan for Tennessee to be the “number one job-creating, energy-producing powerhouse” that can deliver on childhood education “by empowering parents, not the deep state.” She also continued to push the president’s agenda on illegal immigration.

“I’m ready to deliver the kind of conservative leadership that will ensure our state is America’s conservative leader for this generation and the next,” Blackburn said.

Even before her official announcement, the U.S. senator has been considered a favorite for the governor’s seat, which has remained solidly Republican for the last four elections. If elected, she would be Tennessee’s first female governor.

Blackburn is already joined in the race by U.S. Rep. John Rose.

“We welcome her to the race if she gets into it,” Rose told the Nashville Post in July, while questioning Blackburn’s commitment to her current term. “I think Tennesseans expect the people they elect to serve to fill out the terms that they were elected to serve.”

Blackburn, 73 years old from Brentwood, was reelected to her U.S. Senate post in November, beating Democratic challenger and state Rep. Gloria Johnson. Her term is set to end in 2031.

A former state representative and state senator, Blackburn first served in the U.S. House in 2003 and then transitioned to the U.S. Senate in 2019. Current Gov. Bill Lee is serving his second term and cannot run again.