Marsha Blackburn Works for PACs and Trump–Not Tennesseans

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (August 6, 2025) – Knox County Democratic Party Chair Stuart Hohl released the following statement Wednesday in response to U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn announcing her candidacy for Tennessee governor:

“Marsha Blackburn works harder for lobbyists than she does for Tennesseans,” Hohl said. “Blackburn has had decades to improve the lives of her constituents, but instead she abandoned Tennesseans during the ongoing opioid crisis, abandoned Tennesseans trying to modernize broadband, and abandoned Tennesseans on Medicaid. She has sold her soul to for-profit prisons and pharmaceutical companies. Marsha and her MAGA minions have already squeezed the Tennessee economy this year, and it will only get worse if she becomes governor.”

Blackburn’s time in office has been devastating for Tennessee. She has supported Big Pharma over Tennesseans through the ongoing opioid crisis, opposes raising the minimum wage and is bought and paid for by big internet service providers, and she backs efforts to sell off Social Security benefits that have lifted senior Americans out of poverty. Blackburn has not held a public town hall with her constituents as an elected senator. 

Sen. Blackburn supports President Donald Trump’s billionaire-focused MAGA 2.0 agenda, which is hurting Tennesseans every day. She has been silent as that agenda wiped out funding for local nonprofits, caused layoffs at our largest employers and created chaos for our local schools with the loss of critical positions, and closed campsites at our national parks. She passed a bill that balloons the national debt while millions lose healthcare coverage.

Knox County and Tennessee need a governor who will fight for them, not a career politician looking for their next PAC payday. The Volunteer State deserves someone who embodies the volunteer spirit, not someone who hides from constituents while she sells us down the river. 

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Media Contact: Stuart Hohl: chair@knoxcountydemocrats.org

Knox Dems is the Knox County, Tennessee, Democratic Party. Knox County is shifting blue, and since 2018 local Dems have made gains over the local GOP by flipping seats in each election cycle.