Marsha Blackburn
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Mary Marsha Blackburn (née Wedgeworth; born June 6, 1952)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the senior United States senator from Tennessee. Blackburn was first elected to the Senate in 2018. A member of the Republican Party, Blackburn was a state senator from 1999 to 2003 and represented Template:Ushr in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019, during which time the National Journal rated her among the House's most conservative members.
A supporter of the Tea Party movement, Blackburn is a staunch ally of President Donald Trump. She opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, and the Affordable Care Act. On November 6, 2018, Blackburn became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, defeating Democratic former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. Blackburn became the state's senior senator in January 2021 upon the retirement of Senator Lamar Alexander. Upon the retirement of Congressman Jim Cooper in 2023, she became the dean of Tennessee's congressional delegation. She won reelection to a second Senate term in 2024 against Democratic nominee Gloria Johnson.
In August 2025, Blackburn announced her candidacy for governor of Tennessee in 2026.
Early life and education
Marsha Wedgeworth was born in Laurel, Mississippi, to Mary Jo (Morgan) and Hilman Wedgeworth, who worked in sales and management.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She placed fourth during a beauty pageant in high school.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Blackburn attended Mississippi State University on a 4-H scholarship, earning a Bachelor of Science in home economics in 1974.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="MSU">The Marsha Blackburn Collection web page Template:Webarchive, Mississippi State University Congressional and Political Research Center; retrieved December 5, 2013.</ref><ref name="library.msstate.edu">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Baker"/> Blackburn was elected both as secretary and president of the Associated Women Students at Mississippi State University.<ref>https://archive.org/details/reveille671972miss/page/216/mode/1up?view=theater 1972 Reveille Yearbook, Mississippi State University.</ref><ref>https://archive.org/details/reveille671972miss/page/275/mode/1up?q=Wedgeworth&view=theater 1972 Reveille Yearbook, Mississippi State University.</ref><ref>https://archive.org/details/reveille691974miss/page/403/mode/1up?view=theater&q=Wedgeworth 1972 Reveille Yearbook, Mississippi State University.</ref>
Early career and political activity
In 1973, before graduating from college, Blackburn worked as a sales manager for the Times Mirror Company. From 1975 to 1978, she worked in the Castner Knott Division of Mercantile Stores, Inc. In 1978, she became the owner of Marketing Strategies, a promotion-event management firm. As of 2016, Blackburn continued to run this business.<ref name="library.msstate.edu"/>
Blackburn was a founding member of the Williamson County Young Republicans.<ref name="Baker">Baker, Jackson, Marsha Blackburn – Beacon of the Right Template:Webarchive, Memphis Magazine, July 2011; retrieved December 6, 2013.</ref> She was chair of the Williamson County Republican Party from 1989 to 1991.<ref name=Baker/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1992, she ran for Congress in Tennessee's 6th congressional district, losing to incumbent Bart Gordon, and was a delegate to the 1992 Republican National Convention.<ref name=Baker/> In 1995, Blackburn was appointed executive director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment, and Music Commission by Tennessee governor Don Sundquist, holding that post through 1997.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Baker" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Blackburn was a member of the Tennessee Senate from 1999 to 2003, and rose to be minority whip.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=MSU/> In 2000, she took part in the effort to prevent the passage of a state income tax bill.<ref name=Baker/>
U.S. House of Representatives
Redistricting after the 2000 census moved Blackburn's home from the 6th district into the 7th district, and created a gerrymandered district that stretched for 200 miles from eastern Memphis to southwest Nashville.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Baker" /> In 2002, Blackburn ran in the Republican primary for this congressional seat. Of the four main candidates, she was the only one from the Nashville suburbs. The other three (Mark Norris, David Kustoff, and Brent Taylor) were all from Memphis or its suburbs.<ref>2002 Tennessee Congressional and Statewide Primary Results on 2002-08-01, D.C.'s Political Report </ref> Blackburn was endorsed by the conservative Club for Growth.<ref>Bianca Phillips, Final Report on Tennessee Elections Template:Webarchive, Memphis Flyer, August 1, 2002; retrieved March 7, 2016.</ref> The three Memphians split the vote in that area, and she won the primary by nearly 20 percentage points.<ref>2002 Tennessee Congressional and Statewide Primary Results Template:Webarchive, D.C.'s Political Report; retrieved March 7, 2016.</ref>
In the general election, Blackburn defeated Democratic nominee Tim Barron with 70% of the vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was the fourth woman elected to Congress from Tennessee, and the first woman elected to Congress from Tennessee who did not succeed her husband.<ref>"Marsha Blackburn Named 2016 'Woman of the Year'" Template:Webarchive, Williamson Herald, March 4, 2016.</ref> She was reelected seven times.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tenure
Blackburn served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During her House tenure, the National Journal rated her among the House's most conservative members.<ref name="Baker"/>
In November 2007, Blackburn unsuccessfully ran for Republican conference chair.<ref name="goby">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was a senior advisor on Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, before resigning her position in the Romney campaign and endorsing Fred Thompson for president.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Blackburn was an assistant whip in Congress from 2003 to 2005, as well as deputy whip from 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="bio" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Budget<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Committee on Education and the Workforce<ref name="H2004">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Committee on Energy and Commerce<ref name="CM" />
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, vice-chair
- Subcommittee on Communications and the Internet, chair<ref name="bio" />
- Subcommittee on Health Care<ref name="CM" />
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations,<ref name="CM" /> vice-chair – Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade
- Committee on Judiciary<ref name="H2004" />
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform<ref name="H2004" />
- Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood, chair<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
U.S. Senate
2018 election
In October 2017, Blackburn announced her candidacy for the Senate seat being vacated by Bob Corker. In her announcement, she said that House Republicans were frustrated with Senate Republicans, who they believed acted like Democrats on important issues, including Obamacare.<ref name="FOX">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the announcement, Blackburn called herself a "hardcore, card-carrying Tennessee conservative", said she was "politically incorrect", and noted with pride that liberals had called her a "wingnut".<ref name=":1" /> She dismissed compromise and bipartisanship, saying "No compromise, no apologies."<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> She also said that she carried a gun in her purse.<ref name=":1" /> On August 2, Blackburn received 610,302 votes (84.48%) in the Republican primary, winning the nomination.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Blackburn largely backed President Donald Trump's policies,<ref name=":12">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref> including a U.S.–Mexico border wall,<ref name="FOX2">Template:Cite news</ref> and shared his opinion of National Football League national anthem protests.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trump and Vice President Mike Pence endorsed her. During the campaign, Blackburn pledged to support Trump's agenda and suggested that Democratic nominee Phil Bredesen would not.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
For most of the campaign, polls showed the two candidates nearly tied. But after Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Blackburn pulled ahead. Some believe the hearings mobilized Republican voters in the state,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> even though Democrats won the House. Blackburn won the election with 54.7% of the vote to Bredesen's 43.9%, an unexpectedly large margin. She carried all but three counties in the state (Davidson, Shelby, and Haywood), the most counties ever won in an open Senate election in Tennessee.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2024 election
On August 1, 2024, Blackburn and Democratic state representative Gloria Johnson won their respective party nominations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was the first all-woman general election for a Tennessee Senate seat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Blackburn was reelected with 63.8% of the vote to Johnson's 34.2%. She carried all but two counties in the state (Davidson and Shelby).
There was speculation that Blackburn could be Donald Trump's running mate in his 2024 presidential campaign,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but Trump instead chose JD Vance.
Senate tenure
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Blackburn was sworn in as a U.S. senator on January 3, 2019. She is the first woman in history to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Upon Lamar Alexander's retirement in 2021, Blackburn became the senior U.S. senator from Tennessee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Committee assignments<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Committee on Finance
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
2026 gubernatorial campaign
Template:Main On August 6, 2025, Blackburn announced that she would run for governor of Tennessee in 2026.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Political positions
Blackburn is a Tea Party Republican.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite news</ref> She has been called staunchly conservative,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":8" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and has sometimes attended functions of, and met with leaders of, far-right groups.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She has called herself "a hard-core, card-carrying Tennessee conservative."<ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref>
GovTrack estimated Blackburn to be the most ideologically conservative member of the Senate in the 2019 legislative year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2024, Blackburn served as chairperson for the Republican National Committee's official party platform.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Abortion and stem cell research
Blackburn staunchly opposes abortion and sought to overturn Roe v. Wade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1" /> In 2013, she was chosen to manage debate on a bill promoted by House Republicans that would have prohibited abortions after 22 weeks' gestation, with limited exceptions for rape or incest.<ref name="nyt-abortion">Template:Cite news</ref> She replaced the bill's prior sponsor, U.S. Representative Trent Franks, after Franks made controversial and dubious statements.<ref name="bloomberg-abortion">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="franks">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2015, Blackburn led a panel that investigated the Planned Parenthood undercover video controversy, in which anti-abortion activists published a video purporting to show that Planned Parenthood illicitly sold fetal tissue. Subsequent investigations into Planned Parenthood found no evidence of fetal tissue sales or of wrongdoing,<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref> but in 2017, when Blackburn announced that she was running for Senate, she ran a controversial advertisement saying that she "fought Planned Parenthood and we stopped the sale of baby body parts".<ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2015, Blackburn claimed that 94% of Planned Parenthood's business revolves around abortion services, which FactCheck.org found to be misleading and that "no one can say for sure what the percentage is".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In March 2016, Blackburn chaired the Republican-led Select Investigative Panel, a committee convened to "explore the ethical implications of using fetal tissue in biomedical research".<ref name="select-investigative-panel">Template:Cite news</ref> Democrats on the panel characterized the probe as a politically motivated witch hunt.<ref name="select-investigative-panel" />
Birtherism
In 2009, Blackburn sponsored legislation requiring presidential candidates to show their birth certificates. The bill was in response to conspiracy theories, commonly known as "birther" theories, that alleged that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Her spokesperson said that Blackburn did not doubt that Obama was an American citizen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
China
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In December 2020, Blackburn posted, "China has a 5,000-year history of cheating and stealing. Some things will never change..." on her Twitter account.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> The European Union bureau chief for China's state-owned China Daily, Chen Weihua, responded by tweeting, "This is the most racist and ignorant US Senator I have seen. A lifetime bitch".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="auto"/> In what appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to Chen, Blackburn asserted in response that the U.S. would "not bow down to sexist communist thugs". One of Chen's tweets was, with an apparently sarcastic comment, retweeted by Republican Senator Marco Rubio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Chinese American rights group Tennessee Chinese American Alliance protested Blackburn's comments as insulting to the Chinese community.<ref>Chinese Americans protesting Sen. Marsha Blackburn Template:Webarchive News 4 Nashville. December 12, 2020</ref>
In August 2022, Blackburn led a congressional delegation to Taiwan, where she met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Her delegation was the third such delegation to visit Taiwan following Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit early that month. During her visit, Blackburn voiced support for Taiwan, calling it an "independent nation" and a "country", and also supported further U.S.-Taiwan relations and combating the "New Axis of Evil", which she defines as Iran, Russia, and North Korea, led by China. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and condemns most visits by U.S. lawmakers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In July 2023, Blackburn criticized the movie Barbie for "bending to Beijing to make a quick buck" after it was alleged the film contained a map of the world displaying the nine-dash line, a territorial claim by China to the South China Sea that the international community rejects. In a statement addressing like criticisms, Warner Bros., Barbie's production company, said the map was a "child-like crayon drawing . . . not intended to make any type of statement".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2024, Blackburn was targeted by the Chinese government's Spamouflage influence operation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Israel
In October 2023, Blackburn voiced support for Israel during the Gaza war, saying, "The United States has a moral obligation to defend Israel, and as Israel is surrounded by hostile actors funded by Iran who seek the destruction of the Jewish state and deny its right to exist, that's a solemn responsibility."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Climate change
Blackburn rejects the scientific consensus on climate change. In a 2014 debate with science communicator Bill Nye, Blackburn rejected the science and urgency of the issue, claiming that there is "no consensus" in the scientific community about the causes of climate change.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Contraception and the right to privacy
In March 2022, Blackburn called Griswold v. Connecticut, a landmark Supreme Court decision holding that the Constitution protects the liberty of married couples to buy and use contraceptives without government restriction, "constitutionally unsound" as a ruling that "gave the court permission to bypass our system of checks and balances".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Donald Trump
Blackburn strongly supports Donald Trump.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite news</ref>
In November 2016, Blackburn joined Trump's presidential transition team as vice chair.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was a staunch supporter of his and backed most of his policies and proposals.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2"/><ref name=":5" /> She nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations with North Korea.<ref name=":5" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Vox speculated that Blackburn's ties to Trump, who won Tennessee in the 2016 election by 26 points, helped boost her Senate candidacy.<ref name="vox">Template:Cite news</ref>
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During Trump's first Senate impeachment trial, Blackburn left the chamber for a television interview.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also garnered attention by reading a book during the proceedings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Blackburn spent time during the trial to tweet about Alexander Vindman, calling him unpatriotic for allegedly "badmouth[ing] and ridicul[ing]" the U.S. in front of Russia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ZCohen20200125">Template:Cite news</ref> In November 2019, #MoscowMarcia started trending on Twitter after Blackburn tweeted allegations against Vindman on her Twitter account.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Week characterized her tweet as a "conspiratorial smear".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In her post, she wrote "Vindictive Vindman is the 'whistleblower's' handler".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The tweet was in reference to Vindman, a decorated army official and Purple Heart veteran, who became a central figure in Trump's impeachment proceedings in Congress after testifying he heard Trump pressure the president of Ukraine to investigate the son of one of his chief political rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
After Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Blackburn supported Trump's false claims of victory and raised funds to support the Trump campaign's effort to overturn the election results in court.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite web</ref> In an interview on November 20, she briefly called Biden the "president-elect" but later retracted this as a mistake.<ref name=":9" /> On January 2, 2021, Blackburn and 10 other Republican senators announced that they would vote to oppose certification of the results of the election on January 6, the joint session of Congress in which the certification of a presidential election occurs, citing false allegations of widespread election fraud, irregularities, and unconstitutional changes to voting laws and voting restrictions. But after a mob of Trump supporters violently stormed Capitol Hill that day, she voted to certify the results of the election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In May 2021, Blackburn abstained from voting on the creation of the January 6 commission.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Education
In 2021, when President Biden proposed universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds and subsidized child care for low- and middle-income families, Blackburn likened the proposal to the communist policies of the Soviet Union.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also falsely claimed that the Biden administration proposed to put children in pre-K even if their parents did not want to send them there.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Fiscal policy
Blackburn was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which raised the U.S. debt ceiling.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Gun rights
After the 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting on November 7, 2018, which resulted in 12 deaths, Blackburn responded to a question about the shooting in a Fox News interview by saying, "how do we make certain that we protect the Second Amendment and protect our citizens? We've always done that in this country. Mental health issues need to be addressed."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In March 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Blackburn for accepting over $1 million in campaign donations from the National Rifle Association of America and voting against gun control measures, including the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Health care and pharmaceuticals
Blackburn opposed the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), saying upon its passage, "freedom dies a little bit today."<ref name=":1" /><ref name="nyt-healthcare">Template:Cite news</ref> She supported efforts to repeal the legislation.<ref name="nyt-debate">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2017, while arguing for its repeal, Blackburn falsely said that two of its popular provisions (protections for people with preexisting conditions and allowing adult children to be on their parents' health plans until they're 26) "were two Republican provisions which made it into the bill."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In her declaration that she would run for the Senate in 2018, she said that the failure to repeal the ACA was "a disgrace".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
At October 2013 congressional hearings on the ACA, Blackburn said the website healthcare.gov violated HIPAA and health information privacy rights. The next day, when a CNN interviewer pointed out that the only health-related question the site asked was "do you smoke?", Blackburn repeated her criticism of the site for violating privacy rights.<ref>Cavendish, Steve This Is What Happens When Marsha Blackburn Can't Answer A Simple Question Template:Webarchive, Nashville Scene, October 25, 2013; retrieved December 5, 2013.</ref>
According to The New York Times in 2017, Blackburn's best-known legislation was her co-sponsorship of a bill that revised the legal standard the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had used to establish that "a significant and present risk of death or serious bodily harm that is more likely than not to occur", rather than the previous tougher standard of "imminent danger", before suspending the manufacturer's opioid drug shipments.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":5" /> The legislation passed the House and the Senate unanimously, but was criticized in internal Justice Department documents and by the DEA's chief administrative law judge as hampering DEA enforcement actions against drug distribution companies engaging in black-market sales.<ref name=":0" /> Joe Rannazzisi, who had led the DEA's Office of Diversion Control, said he informed Blackburn's staffers what the effects of a 2016 law she co-sponsored would be. Blackburn said her bill had "unintended consequences", but Rannazzisi said they should have been anticipated. He said that during a July 2014 conference call he told congressional staffers the bill would cause more difficulties for the DEA if it pursued corporations that were illegally distributing such drugs.<ref name="DEA">Ex-DEA official says Blackburn had warning on opioid law Template:Webarchive, Jonathan Mattise, October 26, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2019.</ref> Blackburn and Representative Tom Marino, the main co-sponsor of her House bill, sent a letter requesting an Office of Inspector General investigation about Rannazzisi, saying he tried to intimidate Congress in the July conversation. Rannazzisi said he was removed from his DEA position in August 2015.<ref name="DEA" />
Immigration
Blackburn supported Trump's 2017 executive order imposing a temporary travel and immigration ban barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.<ref name="Blake1">Template:Cite web</ref> She has often expressed support of Trump's immigration policy, especially his plan to greatly expand the Mexico–United States barrier.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2021, Blackburn visited the southern border of the United States with several other Republican senators; she accused President Biden of encouraging a surge of illegal immigration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
LGBT rights
Blackburn opposes same-sex marriage<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in 2004 and 2006 voted for proposed constitutional amendments to ban it.<ref name=":6" /> Of the Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, Blackburn said, "Despite this decision, no one can overrule the truth about what marriage actually is—a sacred institution between a man and a woman."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, she voted against repealing the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During her tenure as a representative, Blackburn sought to remove Kevin Jennings, a gay man who worked in the United States Department of Education, saying that Jennings "has played an integral role in promoting homosexuality and pushing a pro-homosexual agenda in America’s schools".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2013, Blackburn voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act in the House,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but voted against the Senate's version of the act, which expanded VAWA to apply to people regardless of sexual orientation.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref> She argued that increasing the number of targets for VAWA funding would "dilute the money that needs to go into the sexual assault centers, domestic abuse centers, [and] child advocacy centers",<ref name="MSNBC VAWA Interview">Template:Cite web</ref> and said VAWA ought to remain focused on supporting women's shelters and facilitating law enforcement against crimes against women, rather than addressing other groups or issues.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Blackburn voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to ban discrimination against LGBT employees.<ref name=":6" /> In August 2019, she co-signed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not prohibit employment discrimination based upon sexual orientation or gender identity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Supreme Court nominations
On October 26, 2020, Blackburn voted to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States. Barrett was confirmed by a vote of 52–48.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Blackburn wore a mask that read "Grin and Barrett" to the Senate vote.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On March 22, 2022, during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, Blackburn asked Jackson to define the word "woman". "'I can’t—' Jackson replied. 'You can’t?' Blackburn said. 'Not in this context. I’m not a biologist,' Jackson said. 'The meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you can’t give me a definition?' Blackburn asked."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On April 7, 2022, the Senate voted 53–47 to confirm Jackson to the Supreme Court; Blackburn voted against Jackson's confirmation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tech policy and antitrust
Blackburn has advocated increased regulation of technology companies and criticized alleged anti-conservative bias on major platforms.<ref name="dailybeast20201028" /> In June 2018, she published an op-ed arguing for greater oversight and restrictions on tech companies that sparked a vocal backlash among Google employees.<ref name="tennesseestar">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Better source needed</ref> During a 2020 Commerce Committee hearing in which she claimed that tech companies stifle free speech, Blackburn asked Google chief Sundar Pichai about the employment status of an employee who had criticized her.<ref name="politico20201028">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="dailybeast20201028">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="esquire">Template:Cite news</ref>
In the 117th United States Congress, Blackburn introduced the bipartisan Open App Markets Act alongside Senators Richard Blumenthal and Amy Klobuchar. The legislation is intended to curb Apple and Google, the operators of the App Store and Google Play, from engaging in anti-competitive behavior in app markets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Blackburn also worked with Blumenthal to introduce children's online child safety legislation, known as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Telecommunications policy
Blackburn opposes net neutrality in the United States, calling it "socialistic".<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She opposes municipal broadband initiatives that aim to compete with Internet service providers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She supported bills that restrict municipalities from creating their own broadband networks, and wrote a bill to prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from preempting state laws that blocked municipal broadband.<ref>Eggerton, John (July 16, 2014) "Blackburn Bill Would Block FCC Preemption" Template:Webarchive, Broadcasting & Cable; retrieved December 30, 2015.</ref><ref>Sirota, David (July 16, 2014) "Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): Why One Congresswoman Wants To Block Fast, Cheap Internet In Her District" Template:Webarchive, International Business Times; retrieved December 30, 2015.</ref>
In 2017, Blackburn introduced to the House a measure to dismantle an Obama-administration online privacy rule that the FCC adopted in October 2016.<ref name="KangBlackburn">Cecilia Kang, Congress Moves to Overturn Obama-Era Online Privacy Rules Template:Webarchive, New York Times (March 28, 2017).</ref> Her measure, which was supported by broadband providers but criticized by privacy advocates, repealed the rule that required broadband providers to obtain consumers' permission before sharing their online data, including browsing histories.<ref name="KangBlackburn" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The measure passed the House in a party-line vote in March 2017, after a similar measure passed the Senate the same week.<ref name="KangBlackburn" /> She subsequently proposed legislation that expanded the requirement to include internet companies as well as broadband providers.<ref>Ali Breland, House Republican unveils internet privacy bill, The Hill, May 19, 2017.</ref> As of 2017, Blackburn had accepted at least $693,000 in campaign contributions from telecom companies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Women's rights
In 2009, Blackburn voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
Marsha married Chuck Blackburn in 1974.<ref name=Baker/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They live in Brentwood, a suburb of Nashville in Williamson County,<ref name=bio>Template:Cite web</ref> and have two children.<ref name=Baker/> She is a Presbyterian and a member of Christ Presbyterian Church.<ref name=CM>Barnette, Amy, Marsha Blackburn – 7th Congressional District, The Commercial Appeal, June 30, 2010; retrieved December 5, 2013.Template:Webarchive</ref>
Blackburn is a member of The C Street Family, a prayer group that includes members of Congress.<ref name=cst>Inside The C Street House Template:Webarchive, Salon.com, July 21, 2009.</ref> She is a former member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board.<ref name=bio/>
Blackburn is the author of The Mind of a Conservative Woman: Seeking the Best for Family and Country. The book was published on September 1, 2020, by Worthy Books.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Electoral history
| Year | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Template:Party shading/Democratic |Bart Gordon (incumbent) | Template:Party shading/Democratic align="right" |120,177 | Template:Party shading/Democratic |57% | Template:Party shading/Republican |Marsha Blackburn | Template:Party shading/Republican align="right" |86,289 | Template:Party shading/Republican |41% | Template:Party shading/Independent |H. Scott Benson | Template:Party shading/Independent |Independent | Template:Party shading/Independent align="right" |5,952 | Template:Party shading/Independent align="right" |3% |
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See also
Notes
References
External links
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