U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn tied herself to President Donald Trump's agenda when she asked Republicans to make her Tennessee's next governor at Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp's Labor Day picnic.
"We are going to need good, strong, solid conservative governors in this country to make certain that we cement the 'America First' agenda and make it a 'Tennessee First' agenda," Blackburn said. "I fully believe that at this point in time, Tennessee does not need a manager, what it needs is a leader."
Several Republican politicians who spoke at Wamp's Labor Day picnic introduced Blackburn as the state's next chief executive, including Wamp.
"I reckon that Hamilton County, Tennessee, will play a big role in electing Tennessee's first female governor, the 51st governor of the state of Tennessee, my friend, Sen. Marsha Blackburn," Wamp said.
Blackburn, a two-term senator who announced her campaign in August, is seeking to succeed GOP Gov. Bill Lee, who is term-limited out.
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CAMPAIGN MESSAGE
In her picnic speech, Blackburn credited Trump's leadership for what she described as conservative victories in Washington, ranging from the passage of "one big beautiful bill" to deporting unauthorized immigrants.
"We have made certain that we have defunded the NPR, and the U.S. Department of Education is going out of existence," she said. "And can we have no boys in girls' sports?
"He's also draining the swamp and sending power and authority back to the states for education, for regulation, for energy, for all sorts of things that should have never gone to Washington, D.C., in the first place," she said. "And that is the reason that I am running for governor."
Blackburn said her campaign would aim to make Tennessee ranked No. 1 for conservative policies, energy production, protecting children and individual freedom. She also praised Wamp's efforts to build family-friendly communities for the long term.
"One of the things we know is everybody is looking to come to Tennessee at this time," she said. "We're No. 1, when it comes not only to jobs, but to careers. We're in the best place that we can possibly be."
When asked how she will ensure Tennessee's infrastructure continues to meet demands far into the future, Blackburn said that the issue is one state Sen. Bo Watson, R-North Chattanooga, as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, is focused on.
"Because our growth has outpaced our ability to keep up," she said, "and when you look at the bottlenecks, around Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, we know that there have got to be new considerations."
Watson said that no matter who moves to Tennessee, it's going to continue to be a low-tax state. Coupled with the balanced budget requirement, he said that means the governor and legislature must work closely together.
"We've been very innovative in Tennessee," Watson said. "We stretch our dollar further than any other state, I will promise you that."
(READ MORE: Blackburn, Greene oppose Trump on state AI regulation)
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp stands on the stage with his son Trewhitt on Sept. 1, 2025, as the mayor speaks during the Wamp family Labor Day picnic at Chester Frost Park.
POLICY PRIORITIES
While answering questions from the media after her speech, Blackburn said she and U.S. Rep Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, have pending legislation that would bring transparency to the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Blackburn said her office often doesn't know what the federal utility is doing or the pace at which it is working. Burchett said bringing transparency would be highly popular among constituents.
"When you're paying the head man at TVA $8 million a year, and then they have closed-door meetings, to me, that's a real problem," Burchett said.
The two also support the Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks Act, which Blackburn joined in introducing. The act is meant to help musicians, writers and other creatives protect their copyrighted works from having artificial intelligence use their work or likeness without compensation, according to a press release from her office.
"Chattanooga is doing a great job commercializing the quantum networks," she said, "but you've also got to think about our singers, our songwriters, our speakers, our preachers, people that do training online."
Burchett said the legislation strikes a balance between encouraging entrepreneurship while installing guardrails to protect creators.
(READ MORE: Beacon Center Poll: Blackburn enjoys early lead over Rose)
GOVERNOR'S RACE
U.S. Rep. John Rose, a Republican from Cookeville, announced his formal bid for governor in March, with most of his campaign funding coming from a personal loan. Rose is described as a generational farmer on his campaign website, but his campaign spokesperson, Chris Devaney, said he's also a lawyer and successful businessman.
"John Rose has been campaigning across the state, listening to Tennesseans' concerns," Devaney said by phone. "I believe Tennesseans recognize the importance of having a CEO, rather than a career politician."
Devaney said Rose is the one candidate who can hit the ground running and provide the things Tennesseans want, including affordable electricity, quality education, good jobs, good roads and access to rural health care.
Rose is also one of the strongest supporters of Trump, Devaney said.
"He's probably, if not the most reliable vote in the Tennessee delegation for Donald Trump, he is right up there at the top," Devaney said. "He's helped pass the big beautiful bill ... matter of fact, he was there for the signing ceremony when they signed it on July 4."
Even though Blackburn is marching out endorsements, Devaney said, Rose will wait for the proper time to roll out his endorsements as well.
(READ MORE: Local GOP members laud Blackburn's run for Tennessee governor)
Democratic candidate for Tennessee governor and Memphis attorney Jerri Green campaigned in Chattanooga on Saturday with a platform calling for paid family and medical leave, affordable child care and a living wage.
According to Ballotpedia, one other Republican, Cito Pellegra, will also run in the GOP primary. Three other Democrats and two independents are also registered candidates.
The primary election is Aug. 6, 2026, and the general election is Nov. 3.
Contact breaking news reporter Mason Edwards at [email protected] or 423-757-6409.