Marsha Blackburn

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Marsha Blackburn

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 7th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 7, 2003–
Preceded by	Ed Bryant
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	June 6, 1952 (age 54) Laurel, Mississippi
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Chuck Blackburn
Religion	Presbyterian

Marsha Blackburn (born June 6, 1952 in Laurel, Mississippi) is a Tennessee politician. A Republican, she represents the 7th Congressional district (map) of Tennessee, which stretches from the suburbs of Nashville to the suburbs of Memphis.

She graduated from Mississippi State University, where she also spent a few summers working with the Southwestern Company^[1]^[2]. Blackburn now lives in Brentwood, a suburb of Nashville. It is located in Williamson County, the state's richest county and, since the 1980s, a Republican stronghold. A Mississippi native, she began her political career in 1977 as a founding member of the Williamson County Young Republicans. She served as chairwoman of the Williamson County Republican Party from 1989 to 1991.

Blackburn's elective political career began in 1992, when she won the Republican nomination for the 6th District, which at the time included her home in Brentwood. She lost by 16 points (under 3400 votes) to longtime congressman Bart Gordon. In 1995, she was appointed chairwoman of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission. She won elective office for the first time in 1998, when she was elected to the Tennessee State Senate, representing Williamson County and a sliver of Davidson County. She led efforts to prevent the passage of a state income tax championed by Governor Don Sundquist. She is frequently mentioned as a possible 2010 Gubernatorial candidate.

[edit] House career

Redistricting after the 2000 Census moved Blackburn's home from the 6th District into the 7th District. In 2002, incumbent Congressman Ed Bryant decided to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Fred Thompson. Blackburn entered the Republican primary. The primary was watched very closely in Tennessee Republican circles. The 7th is considered the state's most Republican district outside the state's traditional Republican heartland, East Tennessee. Republicans had held the 7th since 1972 by margins rivaling those usually scored by East Tennessee Republicans. If possible, the 7th became even more Republican with the addition of Williamson County. It was virtually taken for granted that whoever won the Republican primary would be the district's next congressman.

Of the four serious candidates, Blackburn was the only one from the Nashville suburbs, while the other three were all from Memphis and its suburbs. The three Memphians split the vote in that area, allowing Blackburn to win the primary by 20 points. Blackburn's primary win was tantamount to election in November. She was the first Tennessee woman elected to Congress in her own right. (Irene Bailey Baker and Louise Reece had served as caretakers after their husbands died in office, and Marilyn Lloyd replaced her husband on the ballot when he died after the primary election.)

She was unopposed for reelection in 2004, which is somewhat unusual for a freshman member of Congress, even from a district as heavily Republican as the 7th. But Washingtonian's September 2004 Best and Worst of Congress, obtained from a survey of Congressional aides, identified Blackburn as one of the three best freshman members.

Blackburn is a staunch fiscal and social conservative, which is not surprising given the nature of her district. She is regarded as something of a "rising star" in Republican circles and is considered by some to have appreciably more influence than is typical of a two-term legislator. Some had speculated she would run for Bill Frist's U.S. Senate seat in 2006; however, she chose to run for a third House term. Unlike most female Representatives, she prefers to be called "Congressman Blackburn."

Blackburn's future in Congress appears to be reasonably secure. Democrats have only made three serious runs for this district since 1972 and have come within single digits only once. It seems highly unlikely that Blackburn will face a serious or well-funded Democratic opponent in the foreseeable future.

According to her campaign website, Blackburn has received the following honors:

National Journal described Blackburn as a "freshman to watch" and a "top House conservative" in 2003 and 2004.
Americans for Tax Reform called Blackburn a "taxpayer hero" in 2003.
The Family Research Council gave Blackburn the "true blue" award for the first half of the 108th Congress.
National Right to Life praised Blackburn for supporting the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act.

In January 2007, Congressman Blackburn and Colorado Governor Bill Owens joined former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign as senior advisors.^[3]