Senator Blackburn says Tennessee Needs a Leader, not a Manager, to Take Advantage of President Trump’s Plans to Shrink the Federal Government
Senator Blackburn speaking at Friday’s event (Photo by Sky Arnold)
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, kicked off her campaign for the 2026 Tennessee Governor’s Race in Nashville on Friday with a look back at the issue that helped launch her political career.
In the late 1990s, Blackburn helped lead the successful opposition to a proposed state income tax. Blackburn told an audience of supporters at the Loveless Café that the conservative economic policies that followed the income tax debate put Tennessee on solid financial ground.
She says she’s running for governor to protect the state’s economic position and use it to advance the opportunity presented by President Trump’s efforts to provide more power to states.
“We’ve got this solid foundation, and we are able to accept all of this responsibility that is coming back to the states, and it’s going to be important that we do something with it,” said Blackburn. “Tennessee does not need a manager. What Tennessee needs is a leader, and a leader who can chart the path. A leader that knows how to build a team in order to get the job done.”
Opportunity for Innovation
Blackburn told supporters she plans to do four things “extremely well” if elected governor - keep taxes low, simplify licensing requirements, ensure government regulation is light, and provide businesses with a well-trained workforce.
Blackburn says education and support for small businesses will be a big part of the latter, and she reiterated her support for Trump’s plan to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. She says it offers the opportunity for a reset.
“We can change how we educate our workforce, and now is the time for that,” said Blackburn. “Have our universities be the centers of innovation, the centers of excellence. We want to make certain we give parents choice in how their child is educated.”
Senator Blackburn said if elected, she would also push to expand the recently passed Education Freedom Scholarship program that allows parents to use public dollars to help send their kids to private school. Currently, the program is limited to 20,000 participants.
Blackburn will face U.S. Congressman John Rose in next year’s GOP gubernatorial primary.