Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn earns bipartisan win, but she's still a political bruiser
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Tennessee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Brentwood, made her name as a conservative pugilist taking on Democrats – and sometimes Republicans – on policy differences in the state legislature and Congress.
Her brand in recent years translates to pro-Trump, anti-abortion and pro-culture war.
As a state senator more than two decades ago, she helped kill the proposed state income tax proposal from GOP Gov. Don Sundquist and she riled critics over how she questioned now Associate Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson during the Biden appointee's confirmation hearing in 2022.
The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd described Blackburn during that time as “all magnolia Southern charm — until she spits venom.”
But despite that reputation, Blackburn recently has been eager to tout the relationship she has forged with Democratic colleagues and the bills they have passed together.
On May 7, Democratic President Joe Biden signed the bill she sponsored with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, called the REPORT Act (S. 474).
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The new law requires social media companies, such as, Facebook, X or Snapchat, to report incidents of sex trafficking, grooming and exploitation of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, which works with authorities to go after accused predators.
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In a May 2 virtual press conference about the REPORT Act, I asked Blackburn about the bipartisan cooperation, which she mentioned several times.
"I am always willing to have a conversation," responded Blackburn, who went to talk about her work with other Democrats including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Illinois.
Bipartisan cooperation is not new for Blackburn
But it is not the first time Blackburn has sought partners on the other side of the aisle.
In January, I wrote about her cooperation with Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, on a bill to require domestic violence training for cosmetologists, barbers and other beauty professionals.
She worked with the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, on the HITS Act, an incentive program to assist independent artists.
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On April 30, she announced the American Music Tourism Act , an effort with Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, to increase music-related tourism domestically and from abroad.
Blackburn continues to work with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, on the Kids Online Safety Act to protect children against harms on social media.
The senator’s positions have also made her the target of her opponents
Her critics are eager to point out her initial opposition to certifying President Joe Biden's election, before the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol changed her mind.
They reference her recent vote against more funding for Ukraine in the war against Russia.
She also is a leading voice against gender affirming care and was the most prominent speaker at the 2022 “Rally to End Genital Mutilation” at Legislative Plaza in front of the State Capitol.
These are all relevant points as we get to the 2024 election. She is up for re-election for a second six-year term.
In the Aug. 1 primary election, she faces fellow Republican Tres Wittum, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 Republican primary for the U.S. House in District 5.
Four Democrats are vying for the chance to face Blackburn including Knoxville state Rep. Gloria Johnson of the "Tennessee Three" and Marquita Bradshaw, who won the Dem nod in 2020 but lost to U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty.
Are we past the age of Howard Baker in politics?
Tennessee political watchers often lament the days of yore when more moderate politicians represented the state and when the late Sen. Howard Baker, an East Tennessee Republican, urged his colleagues to listen to the other side. “The other fellow might be right,” he famous said.
But Senator Baker was also a partisan who defended 37th President Richard Nixon (until the evidence showed he could no longer do so) and worked for 40th President Ronald Reagan as his chief of staff.
In Blackburn's case, can a pugilist also be a bridge builder?
She appears to be walking a tightrope between appeasing a hard-right base and governing on issues where she can find common ground, on music, domestic violence and protecting children from exploitation.
Right now, Democrats currently control the White House and the Senate, which means that serving as the opposition suits her well politically.
If that dynamic changes and she finds herself in a position to govern, will she adapt her style?
For the Nov. 5 general election, she is favored, though not guaranteed, to win, and if she does, she will prove that she benefits from straddling a complicated political landscape that values a bruiser who is sometimes willing to work with the other side.
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or find him on X at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, still a bruiser, earns bipartisan win
