Marsha Blackburn

About

Mary Marsha Blackburn (née Wedgeworth; born June 6, 1952) 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 Tennessee’s 7th congressional district 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, cannabis (medical and recreational), 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.
Blackburn…