Blackburn Campaigns Across Tennessee Hours Before Polls Close

Republican gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn spent the final hours of the primary traveling by plane across Tennessee.

On Thursday night, the senior senator will find out the results of her campaign against U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston). Before she finishes her trip in Knoxville, Blackburn traveled across the three grand divisions of Tennessee with her most recent stop on Thursday at the Papermill in Wilson County.

Underneath the glow of twinkle and neon lights, she shook hands with supporters and stumped with state Rep. Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville), who is running for the 6th Congressional District against Van Hilleary, Rose’s chief of staff. Her appearance also included former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines and state Rep. Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon).

Blackburn — standing in her bright red wedge heels — said Tennesseans were on solid footing with Republican governance, with the party holding the supermajority since 2010. She applauded past Gov. Bill Haslam and outgoing Gov. Bill Lee for their leadership, expressing that she wanted to add to those legacies.

“I am going to win,” she said to a loud crowd inside the Papermill.

Standing in front of campaign signs, Blackburn talked with reporters about rural Tennessee health care, the Memphis Safe Task Force, Lower Broadway property tax issues, data centers and a probe into her Senate office for potential use of taxpayer dollars going toward her 2024 campaign. A NewsChannel 5 report brought the issue to light in the campaign during July.

Blackburn refuted the accuracy of a reporter's line of questioning, saying in a tense moment, “It was investigated, and nothing.”

She would not say why she wouldn’t release the records related to the investigation into her office.

Before arriving in Wilson County on Thursday midday, her trip — which included several local reporters trailing behind in a nine-seat Beechjet 400A and black SUVs — began on Wednesday afternoon. She departed from Nashville to Blountville’s Tri-Cities Airport before a lunch at Jailhouse BBQ, a local favorite of former Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey whose real estate office sits across from the restaurant.

Blackburn greeted the handful of lunchtime diners before joining Ramsey in a backroom, reminiscing about their time together in the statehouse while eating fried pickle spears and onion ring appetizers. Ultimately, the candidate opted for a veggie plate of turnip greens, coleslaw and “old time” French fries, with a glass of unsweetened tea, preferring it “heavy on the lemon, light on the ice.”

An hour car ride later, she arrived at the Johnson County Welcome Center in Mountain City, where she was greeted by around 100 supporters in an August-warm wood-paneled community room with several members of the Tennessee General Assembly, including Reps. Timothy Hill, Jeremy Faison and Jason Zachary and Sen. Rusty Crowe. U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who is her campaign treasurer, also attended.

Blackburn argues that Tennesseans — at least Republicans she’s interacted with — are not interested in listening to political speeches or debates, and instead want one-on-one conversations with her, something that she has done with Republican voters who attend party events, some of which are ticketed and more accessible to those conservatives entrenched in the political world.

“As we have crossed the state and met with so many of you, and sat down at a table and talked about your hopes and dreams, ” Blackburn said in Mountain City, “you've really laid out the priorities for what you want our state to focus on as we build on this foundation, and that's what we're going to do.”

Blackburn traditionally has been against abortion rights, against marijuana usage (either medicinally or recreationally), in support of border security, and in support of business expansion across the state. She’s also a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, who didn’t endorse anyone in the Republican gubernatorial race.

“We are the number one state in jobs for our children to come home to, so that they don't have to leave the state to go find a job or have a career,” Blackburn said. “We want them here. We want our kids all in Tennessee, and that is something we should make happen. We should be the number one state in this country when it comes to working with the Trump administration and deporting illegal aliens. We should be the number one state when it comes to getting boys out of girls' sports.”

On Thursday morning, around 100 people gathered at the Shelby County Republican Party headquarters in Memphis before she taxied to other parts of the state.

“Tennessee knows this is a pivotal time, and we've got the opportunity to do a reset for our state as President Trump sends power and authority back to the states, back to local governments, and that is what we as conservatives have always wanted,” Blackburn said. “That power is coming back, whether it is education, or generating nuclear energy, or health care. All of this is coming back. Deregulation, simplified permitting, all of it is coming back to us, to we the people. And now is our time to do something with it. We do not need a manager. We need a leader. That leader is me. I will be your next governor.”