Marsha Blackburn
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Marsha Blackburn | |
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Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
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Preceded by | Ed Bryant |
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Born | June 6, 1952 Laurel, Mississippi |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Chuck Blackburn |
Alma mater | Mississippi State University |
Religion | Presbyterian |
Marsha Blackburn (born June 6, 1952 in Laurel, Mississippi) is a Tennessee politician. A member of the Republican Party (GOP), she represents Tennessee's 7th congressional district, which stretches from the suburbs of Nashville to the suburbs of Memphis.
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[edit] Early career
She graduated from Mississippi State University where she also spent a few summers working with the Southwestern Company. 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 percentage points 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.
[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 representative.
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 fourth woman elected to Congress from Tennessee, but the first not to serve as a stand-in for her husband. (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 is also the first Republican to represent part of Nashville itself since Reconstruction; a small portion of Nashville (roughly coextensive with the Davidson County portion of her State Senate district) was shifted from the heavily Democratic 5th District to the 7th District after the 2000 Census.
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 three-term legislator. Despite this, she was defeated in November 2007 for the position of Republican Conference chairman. 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."
Given the 7th's strong Republican tilt, it is not likely that Blackburn will face substantive opposition in the near future. However, she is frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for governor in 2010.
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.
On May 31, 2006, Rep. Blackburn was named the “hottest woman in U.S. politics” in an online poll sponsored by Politics1.com.[1]
Blackburn served as an assistant whip in the 108th and 109th Congress, and was recently selected as a deputy whip for the 110th Congress.[2]
[edit] Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Health
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Founded the Congressional Songwriters Caucus
- Communications Chairman for the Republican Study Committee
- Communications Chairman for the National Republican Congressional Committee
[edit] 2008 Presidential election
Congressman Blackburn initially backed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, joining his campaign as a senior advisor.[3] On May 25, 2007, Blackburn resigned her position in the Romney campaign and endorsed former Senator Fred Thompson for President.[4]. Blackburn has been been named a potential Vice Presidential candidate on a ticket headed by John McCain, now the GOP nominee.[5] However, Blackburn said McCain's running mate should not be selected from a reliably Republican state such as Tennessee.[6]
[edit] Iraq soldier controversy
On September 24, 2007, Blackburn was interviewed on Tucker, the news show of Tucker Carlson, which was being hosted by guest host David Shuster.[7] When asked about her outrage behind the MoveOn.org Petraeus ad campaign, Blackburn accused The New York Times of "betraying the public trust". Using the public trust issue as a segue, Shuster then asked her for the name of the last soldier from her congressional district to be killed in Iraq. She was unable to answer.
Shuster afterward issued an on-air apology stating Jeremy Bohannon, the soldier Shuster claimed to be the last soldier from her district to be killed in Iraq, was not one of Rep. Blackburn's constituents,[8] but rather a constituent of Rep. John S. Tanner.[9]
[edit] Electoral history
Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
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1992 | Bart Gordon | 120,177 | 57% | Marsha Blackburn | 86,289 | 41% | H. Scott Benson | Independent | 5,952 | 3% | * |
Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
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2002 | Tim Barron | 51,790 | 26% | Marsha Blackburn | 138,314 | 71% | Rick Patterson | Independent | 5,423 | 3% | * | |||
2004 | (no candidate) | Marsha Blackburn | 232,404 | 100% | ||||||||||
2006 | Bill Morrison | 73,369 | 32% | Marsha Blackburn | 152,288 | 66% | Kathleen A. Culver | Independent | 1,806 | 1% | * |
[edit] References
- ^ Politics1 - Online Poll
- ^ Blackburn to speak at GOP dinner. Shelbyville Times-Gazette (April 1, 2008).
- ^ http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Two_New_Senior_Advisers "Governor Mitt Romney Announces Two New Senior Advisers"
- ^ http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_5555307,00.html "Blackburn endorses Fred Thompson"
- ^ John McCain's Top 24 Potential Picks For Vice-President - Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views)
- ^ Tennessee, Gannett (March 17, 2008). Blackburn: Not a VP candidate. Clarksville Leaf Chronicle.
- ^ Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn Flustered by MSNBC Host :: The Memphis Flyer :: Politics Buzz :: Politics
- ^ http://newsbusters.org/static/2007/08/2007-09-26MSNBCShuster.wmv
- ^ Blackburn's TV tiff gets spotlighted : Local News : Commercial Appeal
- ^ a b Election Statistics. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
[edit] External links
- Representative Marsha Blackburn official U.S. House website
- U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
Tennessee Senate | ||
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Preceded by Keith Jordan |
Member of the Tennessee State Senate for the 23rd District 1999 – 2003 |
Succeeded by Jim Bryson |
United States House of Representatives | ||
Preceded by Ed Bryant |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 7th congressional district 2003 – present |
Incumbent |
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Representatives to the 108th–110th United States Congresses from Tennessee | ||
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108th | Senate: B. Frist | L. Alexander | House: B. Gordon | J. Duncan, Jr. | J. Tanner | Z. Wamp | H. Ford, Jr. | W. Jenkins | J. Cooper | M. Blackburn | L. Davis |
109th | Senate: B. Frist | L. Alexander | House: B. Gordon | J. Duncan, Jr. | J. Tanner | Z. Wamp | H. Ford, Jr. | W. Jenkins | J. Cooper | M. Blackburn | L. Davis |
110th | Senate: L. Alexander | B. Corker | House: B. Gordon | J. Duncan, Jr. | J. Tanner | Z. Wamp | J. Cooper | M. Blackburn | L. Davis | S. Cohen | D. Davis |