AMERICAN POLICY EXAMINER. A Tea Party Activist's Guide to American Political Science.

Introduction

Marsha Blackburn is an ardent conservative leader in the United States Congress, representing the 7th Congressional District of Tennessee. She became the first elected woman Congressman from Tennessee in 2002. As a Representative of the U.S. Congress, Blackburn has been steadfast in her efforts to limit government spending, cut taxes, support military veterans, defend the Second Amendment, secure our national borders, and protect the rights of the unborn. By all accounts, Congressman Blackburn is a friend of the Tea Party movement and a supporter of the limited government policies the movement espouses. Furthermore, Blackburn is recognized as holding her office with an integrity that has become a rarity on Capitol Hill.

Early Life and Career

Marsha Blackburn [Wedgeworth] was born in the town of Laurel, Mississippi on June 6, 1952. Having grown up in Laurel, Blackburn attended Northeast Jones High School before attending college at Mississippi State University. While still in college, Blackburn began working for Southwestern Company where she was a Student Manager.

In 1973, Blackburn graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. She continued working with the Company, becoming a sales manager in 1973. In 1975, she landed a job as director of retail fashion for Caster Knott Company. By 1798, however, Blackburn moved on. She became the successful owner of the small business Marketing Strategies, a position she has held to the present day.

By the later-half of the 1970s, Marsha Blackburn moved to Williamson County, Tennessee. Not only did she become a successful small business owner in Tennessee, but she also began a successful civic career as well. In 1777, Blackburn became a founding member of the Williamson County Young Republicans and would serve as chairman from 1989 to 1991.

In 1992, Blackburn entered electoral politics, becoming the Republican nominee for the then 6th Congressional District of Tennessee. Although she would ultimately lose to well-established Democrat incumbent Bart Gordon, her political career was just beginning.

Successful Political Career

Blackburn was appointed to the governor's cabinet as chairman of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment & Music Commission in 1995, where she helped expand the industries content development and entertainment market. In 1998, she ran for state senator on an anti-income tax platform, opposing an income tax push being lead by then-Governor Don Sunquist. Blackburn was ultimately victorious, becoming the first woman to represent Tennessee's 23rd Senate District.

Once in the Senate, Blackburn served as minority whip for the 101st General Assembly, and on the General Welfare, Judiciary, Transportation, and the Health and Human Services Committees. However, Marsha Blackburn is best known for her state-wide grassroots campaign that successfully defeated Governor Sunquist's income tax push.

In 2002, Marsha Blackburn ran for the United States Congress, contesting Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. Running on the anti-tax platform she championed in the state senate, Blackburn defeated her rivals handily and was sent to the 108th Congress as the first elected female representative from Tennessee.

While in the 108th Congress, Blackburn founded the Congressional Songwriters Caucus, which focuses on the protection of intellectual property and tax policy. She served as Assistant Majority Whip in the 108th Congress and was elevated to Deputy Whip in the 110th Congress, where she plans to remain for the foreseeable future. Congressman Blackburn is also currently a member of the exclusive House Energy & Commerce Committee where she helps shape America's fiscal policy. Additional political positions for which Blackburn has include communications chairman for the Republican Study Committee, which is a large fiscally conservative group within Congress, and the communications chairman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, a committee that recruits and gives support to Republican Congressional candidates.

Personal Life

Marsha Blackburn has been married to Chuck Blackburn for more than thirty years. She has two children, Mary Morgan Ketchel and Chad Blackburn. She is also a Christian, with her denomination being Presbyterian.