Marsha Blackburn

Marsha Blackburn
Official portrait, 2019
United States Senator from Tennessee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019 Serving with Bill Hagerty
Preceded by	Bob Corker
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 7th district
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Ed Bryant
Succeeded by	Mark Green
Member of the Tennessee Senate from the 23rd district
In office January 12, 1999 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Keith Jordan
Succeeded by	Jim Bryson
Executive Director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment, and Music Commission
In office February 1995 – June 1997
Governor	Don Sundquist
Preceded by	Dancy Jones
Succeeded by	Anne Pope
Personal details
Born	Mary Marsha Wedgeworth (1952-06-06) June 6, 1952 (age 72) Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Chuck Blackburn ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	2
Residence(s)	Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S.
Education	Mississippi State University (BS)
Website	Senate website
Marsha Blackburn's voice Marsha Blackburn on data privacy concerns in tech regulation Recorded January 20, 2022

Mary Marsha Blackburn (née Wedgeworth; born June 6, 1952)^[1] is an American politician 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 backer of president-elect Donald Trump. She opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, 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.