About Marsha

In 2002, Marsha Blackburn was elected as U.S. Congressman from Tennessee’s 7th District.  In 2003, she was one of only a few newly-elected Congressman selected to serve as an assistant whip on the majority whip team.  Prior to being Congressman, she served in the Tennessee legislature for four years.  It was during this period of time when she earned a reputation in public policy leadership as a steadfast conservative, committed to the Jeffersonian principles of limited government and individual responsibility, family strength, and grass-roots and community advocacy.

Congressman Marsha Blackburn was born on June 6, 1952, and grew up in Laurel, Mississippi.  She attended Mississippi State University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1973. A small business owner, she was actively involved in Tennessee grass-roots politics and has been a civic leader in middle Tennessee for more than twenty-five years. In 1995, Marsha Blackburn served the Governor’s Cabinet as Executive Director of Tennessee’s Film, Entertainment, and Music Commission where she helped preserve and expand the state’s significant role in America’s multi-billion dollar content development and entertainment markets.  Elected as State Senator in 1998, she served as minority whip in the 101st General Assembly and on the General Welfare, Health and Human Services, Judiciary, and Transportation Committees. While in the State Senate, Marsha Blackburn led a state-wide grassroots campaign to defeat the proposed state income tax and her high profile and frequent media interviews on radio and television and positive mentions in national publications like the Wall Street Journal, made her a recognized national anti-tax and government reform advocate.  She sponsored legislation to protect the Second Amendment, for quality and affordable childcare, and reforms against illegal immigration.

Since taking office in 2003, Congressman Blackburn has worked on legislation and programs aimed to promote an ownership society and to ensure a safe and prosperous future for all Americans.  She has helped pass tax relief, restore concurrent receipt for Veterans, enact health care legislation for small businesses, board pay raise for our men and women in uniform, prohibit partial birth abortion and reform the personnel system of the Department of Defense.  In 2005, Congressman Blackburn was selected by House leadership, at the start of the 109th Congress, to serve as majority member for the exclusive House Energy & Commerce Committee.

The Congressman championed restoration of the federal sales tax deduction in 2003 and 2004 and co-sponsored legislation in 2003, incorporated into the American Jobs Creation Act. This restored state and local sales tax deducibility on federal returns in Tennessee for the first time in nearly two decades. In her advocacy for reducing government spending, Congressman Blackburn sponsored three bills to require across the board spending cuts in the Federal budget during the 108th Congress. She serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Efficiency and Financial Management, and is the Co-Chair of House Task Force on waste, fraud and abuse. Congressman Blackburn also serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Songwriters Caucus which she founded in 2003, to give Tennessee’s community of songwriters a voice on Capital Hill.

The Congressman is keenly focused on the urgent need for tough and meaningful immigration reform addressing illegal immigration and a border security policy to secure the nation’s southern border.  She continues to fight to eliminate federal laws that constrain private industry, especially those burdening small businesses, and to support the efforts to access more domestic oil sources.

Named a ‘rising star’ by the Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call, only three years ago, U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn has quickly earned a renowned reputation as one of America’s most articulate and engaged political leaders.  The National Journal described Congressman Blackburn as a ‘top House conservative’ in recognition of her conservative voting record.  Americans for Tax Reform called the Congressman a ‘taxpayer hero’.  The National Taxpayer Union named her ‘taxpayers friend’.  She received the ‘Best & Brightest Award’ from the American Conservative Union for her 100% conservative voting record.  She was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business and named ‘Small Business Champion’ by the Small Business Bureau & Entrepreneurship/Council. 

The Family Research Council awarded Congressman Blackburn the ‘true blue’ distinction for the first half of the 108th Congress.  The National Right to Life praised Blackburn for supporting the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act and 100% pro-life voting record. She scored a 100 in the American Shareholders Association for protecting American shareholders.  She was thanked by the Military Officers Association of Middle Tennessee for pro-military voting record and received 100% pro-family voting record from the Christian Coalition of America.  She received the ‘Spirit of Enterprise’ award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  The American Legion National Headquarters recognized Congressman Blackburn for voting to support increased Veterans Affairs medical care funding and she was praised by the Government Accountability Project for supporting Federal whistleblower protection. The Congressman also received 100% approval from the US Boarder Control.

A voice to be heard and reckoned with, in living rooms, board rooms and in the hallways of governments, Congressman Marsha Blackburn is deemed by the media to be a key spokesperson on vital issues facing America and the world.  She is a frequent guest on prime time television news programs, radio shows and featured in major national publications. Congressman Marsha Blackburn stands confidently and firm in her fight for meaningful immigration reform, reduced federal spending, national security, taxpayers and families. She is grateful for the leadership entrusted to her. Congressman Blackburn is confident that, in protecting our homeland and working for a world free of terror, we will succeed in building a safe and peaceful world for generations to come.

Congressman Blackburn and her husband Chuck have been married for more than thirty years, and they have two children, Mary Morgan Ketchel and Chad Blackburn.

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