Marsha Blackburn Launches Campaign for Tennessee Governor: A New Era in State Leadership

Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune) – Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) officially announced her gubernatorial campaign for Tennessee on Wednesday, positioning herself in a primary battlefield alongside at least one other conservative candidate linked to former President Trump. Earlier this March, U.S. Representative John Rose declared his intentions to run. Barring any additional entrants, Blackburn and Rose will face off in the forthcoming Republican primary set for August 2026. Blackburn, currently serving her second term in the U.S. Senate, emerged victorious in 2024 with an impressive margin of over 29 percentage points against Democratic state Representative Gloria Johnson. Her initial Senate triumph in 2018 saw her defeat former Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen by 11 points, marking her as Tennessee's first female U.S. senator. She aspires to follow in the footsteps of Governor Bill Lee, a fellow Republican ineligible for re-election due to term limits. In her campaign video on X, Blackburn articulated her vision: "This is Tennessee…We’ll honor the Constitution; we’ll value life." Her ambitions include transforming Tennessee into a premier job and energy hub and committing to "deport illegal aliens."

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