U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn is running for Tennessee governor
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn is running for governor of Tennessee. She made the announcement Wednesday, outlining early campaign promises in a video posted to her social media accounts.

Blackburn is a stark conservative, and the campaign announcement highlighted that with a focus on job creation, immigration enforcement and social issues like gender identity.

Blackburn started the announcement with a promise to make Tennessee the country’s primary “job creating, energy producing powerhouse.” It’s a priority she shares with the sitting governor, Bill Lee, who has emphasized Tennessee’s investments in nuclear energy production over the last few years.

Much like her fellow conservatives, Blackburn is following the immigration enforcement playbook as well. In the announcement, she promised to crank up illegal alien deportations, saying “respect for the law starts with enforcing it.”

Another focus in the announcement was gender politics, with the governor hopeful saying the state would, under her, “define boys and girls the way God made them,” promising to “get rid of gender pronoun insanity.” Gender identity and similar LGBTQ+ issues have long been a standing social issue conservatives have rallied behind.

In January, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs endorsed Blackburn, even before her official announcement. He doubled-down on the endorsement Wednesday, saying she “has a proven record of defending Tennessee conservative values, and exactly one year from today, I will proudly cast my vote for her to be our 51st Governor.”

Blackburn is currently serving her second term in the U.S. Senate. Prior to her stint in the Senate, she served as a U.S. representative from 2003 to 2019.