Resource guide

Who Is Marsha Blackburn? Tennessee U.S. Senator

U.S. senator from Tennessee and Republican nominee for governor of Tennessee.

Last updated October 08, 2026 639-word guide Editor Ban the Bots

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is a member of the U.S. Senate and the Republican nominee in the 2026 election for governor of Tennessee.

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Blackburn brought the NO FAKES Act to the Senate floor for a vote, participated in a talk about artificial intelligence alongside Bernie Sanders, and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Where Marsha Blackburn Is Now

Marsha Blackburn serves as Tennessee's senior senator in the U.S. Senate and is running to become governor of Tennessee, as reported by The Charlotte Observer.

Current role: Senior senator representing Tennessee in the U.S. Senate (Wikipedia)
Organization: U.S. Senate and the Senate Judiciary Committee (conservativebrief.com)
Known for: Bringing the NO FAKES Act to the Senate floor for a vote (billboard.com)
Recent news: Campaigning as the Republican nominee in the 2026 election for governor of Tennessee (Wikipedia)

Career and Background

Blackburn graduated from Mississippi State University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics, where she served as secretary and president of the Associated Women Students, according to Wikipedia. In the private sector, she was employed as a sales manager for the Times Mirror Company in 1973, worked in the Castner Knott Division of Mercantile Stores, Inc. between 1975 and 1978, and became the owner of Marketing Strategies in 1978.

Blackburn was a founding member of the Williamson County Young Republicans and chaired the Williamson County Republican Party from 1989 until 1991, as documented on Wikipedia. In 1995, Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist appointed her executive director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment, and Music Commission. She served in the Tennessee Senate from 1999 to 2003 and represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019.

In 2018, Blackburn won election to the U.S. Senate for the first time, becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee (Wikipedia). She assumed the role of Tennessee's senior senator in January 2021 after Lamar Alexander retired, became the dean of Tennessee's congressional delegation in 2023, and won reelection to a second term in the U.S. Senate in 2024.

Dated Recent News

On September 29, 2026, Blackburn attended a press conference at the TVA office in downtown Knoxville, as reported by LGBTQ Nation.

The New Civil Liberties Alliance filed a legal complaint on behalf of Blackburn in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, according to Business Insider. In national politics, Blackburn was one of the first sitting senators to endorse Donald Trump's 2024 presidential re-election campaign.

Legislative and Political Actions

Blackburn brought the NO FAKES Act to the Senate floor for a vote, where it received nearly universal support but was thwarted by Sen. Ted Cruz, who raised concerns about image exceptions for satire and political commentary, according to Billboard. Blackburn also appeared alongside Bernie Sanders in Washington for an event regarding artificial intelligence, as reported by WPLN.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Blackburn declined to return the blue slip required to advance Samuel Adkisson's judicial nomination, while supporting judicial nominees Brian Lea for the Western District of Tennessee and Ben Flowers for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to Conservative Brief. In her campaign for governor, managed by Abigail Sigler, Blackburn stated in Chattanooga, 'This is a great time to be governor for Tennessee,' as reported by WPLN.

Sources

More people pushing back on AI are mapped in our guide to who is fighting AI, and the unions, companies and governments drawing the line are tracked on Fighting Back.

Frequently asked questions

▸ Who is Marsha Blackburn?

Marsha Blackburn is a member of the U.S. Senate representing Tennessee, the state's senior senator, and the Republican nominee in the 2026 election for governor of Tennessee.

▸ What artificial intelligence bill did Marsha Blackburn bring to the Senate floor?

Blackburn brought the NO FAKES Act to the Senate floor for a vote, where it was blocked by Sen. Ted Cruz over concerns regarding exceptions for satire and political commentary.

▸ What committees does Marsha Blackburn serve on in the U.S. Senate?

Blackburn serves as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

▸ Which judicial nominees has Marsha Blackburn supported or opposed?

Blackburn declined to return the blue slip for Samuel Adkisson's judicial nomination, while supporting Brian Lea for the Western District of Tennessee and Ben Flowers for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

▸ When did Marsha Blackburn first enter the U.S. Senate?

Blackburn won election to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 2018, becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, and won reelection to a second term in 2024.

▸ Who is managing Marsha Blackburn's gubernatorial campaign?

Abigail Sigler serves as Blackburn's campaign manager in her run for governor of Tennessee.