Marsha Blackburn Cruises To Big Primary Win In Tennessee Gov Fight

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) won Tennessee’s Republican gubernatorial nomination Thursday, defeating two conservative rivals without President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

With more than 60% of the vote in, Blackburn led four-term U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts with 43% of the vote. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 9:24 p.m. ET.

The longtime Republican, who just won a second Senate term, is expected to coast to victory over Shelby County Public Defender Jerri Green (D-TN) this fall in an overwhelmingly red state that has backed Trump in all three of his presidential runs and has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 2006. 

Leading up to Election Day, Rose campaigned on his rural farming roots while attacking a $30 million incentive package for a Starbucks corporate expansion in Nashville, arguing the funds should instead support local small businesses and core state services. Fritts, meanwhile, raised little money and centered his campaign on religious issues, vowing to find a First Amendment workaround to ban mosques and other non-Christian religious groups.

Strong early voting turnout reflected heightened interest on both sides, driven by the open race to replace Republican Gov. Bill Lee and the legislature’s elimination of Tennessee’s last Democratic congressional district. Polls leading up to the primary also suggested a tightening race as Blackburn came under fire for skipping debates, limiting media access, and releasing a viral campaign ad in which she crushed a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant.

“How hard am I gonna crack down on China? Well, here’s a clue,” Blackburn says as she smashes fortune cookies, revealing her campaign promises. “It doesn’t take a fortune cookie to figure it out: here in Tennessee, we’re going to stop Communist China and protect Tennessee land.”

Blackburn has voiced her views on China in Congress since 2003, when she recognized the threat of Chinese intellectual property theft. In the ad, Blackburn promises to work with the Trump administration to continue the fight.

The MAGA firebrand told The Daily Wire that she views Tennessee as “America’s conservative leader” and wants to lead the way on the important issue of cracking down on Chinese incursions into the country. Blackburn has also pledged to work with the Trump administration to deport illegal immigrants, combat violent crime, cut taxes, and govern in a way that keeps Tennessee a “safe haven” for conservatives.

“As I’ve said from the beginning, Tennessee should be America’s conservative leader, and one of the places that we can — and should — lead is in showing the rest of America how to stand up to and confront Communist China,” Blackburn said. “As governor, I’ll work with the legislators to tighten up those loopholes and hunt down every adversary who tries to get a foothold in our state.” 

If Blackburn wins the November general election, her Senate seat will become vacant, setting up a closely watched appointment and likely a competitive special election for one of Tennessee’s two U.S. Senate seats.

The Cook Political Report rates the Tennessee governor’s race as Solid Republican.