Sen. Marsha Blackburn enters race for Tennessee governor
AXIOS Nashville
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn wants to become the first woman elected governor in Tennessee’s history.
- After months of signaling she intended to run, Blackburn made her candidacy for governor official on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Blackburn’s ties to President Trump, fundraising prowess and track record of winning statewide elections make her a formidable candidate.
Between the lines: Over the last quarter century, Blackburn progressed from anti-tax activist to state lawmaker, the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.
State of play: Her top challenger for the Republican nomination is U.S. Rep. John Rose, who hit the ground running on fundraising.
Zoom in: Blackburn, 73, cruised to reelection last November after using her campaign to build up a statewide network of young activists.
- She’s been a fierce advocate for Trump’s agenda, and she was rumored to be under consideration for a Cabinet post.
- Besides serving as a reliable Republican vote on major policies, her legislative priorities include protecting children from online abuse, music copyright reform and anti-domestic violence initiatives.
The latest: Blackburn’s debut ad, unveiled Wednesday, tethers her to Trump. In fact, the first image in the ad is the president, not Blackburn.
- “Tennessee is the greatest place in the world to rear a family and make a life and a living, and together, we can make our great state even better,” she says in the ad. “We’ll make Tennessee America’s No. 1 job-creating, energy-producing powerhouse.”