Marsha Blackburn

Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, has represented the Seventh Congressional District of Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2002.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Bio
Born June 6, 1952 in Laurel, Mississippi, Blackburn began her political career in 1977 as a founding member of the Williamson County Young Republicans. She served as chairwoman of the Williamson County Republican Party from 1989 to 1991.

Blackburn's elective political career began in 1992, when she won the Republican nomination for the 6th District, which at the time included her home in Brentwood. She lost by 16 points to longtime congressman Bart Gordon. In 1995, she was appointed chairwoman of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission. She won elective office for the first time in 1998, when she was elected to the Tennessee State Senate from Williamson County. She led efforts to prevent the passage of a state income tax championed by Governor Don Sundquist.

Congressional career
The 2002 reapportionment moved Blackburn's home from the 6th District into the 7th District. After a tough primary, she easily won the general election, becoming the first Tennessee woman elected to Congress in her own right. She was unopposed for reelection in 2004.

Blackburn is a staunch conservative and received National Journal's "highest conservative voting rank for any female member of Congress and placed tenth overall in the House." She is ant-tax and pro-business. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded here the 2004 "spirit of enterprise" award, Americans for Tax Reform called Blackburn a "taxpayer hero" in 2003, The Small Business Survival Committee named her a "small business advocate" in 2003, and she scored a perfect 100 in the American Shareholders Association 2003 ranking. She also stands for "family values." The Family Research Council gave Blackburn the "true blue" award for the first half of the 108th Congress. 

Blackburn is considered by some to have appreciably more influence than is typical of a two-term legislator. She was selected to serve as an assistant majority whip and was named a "freshman to watch" by National Journal, while Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, called her a "rising star." 

2006 elections
In 2006, the Democrats nominated Bill Morrison to face Blackburn in her November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Blackburn retained her seat.

Money in politics
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Committees and Affiliations

 * Advisory Committee, Susan B. Anthony List

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommitee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
 * Subcommitee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
 * Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection
 * Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Articles

 * Blackburn Cash Goes to Son-in-Law by Bartholomew Sullivan, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 2/19/06.
 * Blackburn in spotlight at GOP meeting by Bonna de la Cruz, Tennessean, 3/11/06.

Resources

 * Official website
 * Campaign website
 * Technorati Search: Marsha Blackburn
 * Google News Search: Marsha Blackburn
 * Yahoo! News Search: Marsha Blackburn
 * Power Trips: How much did Marsha Blackburn travel?
 * GovTrack Statistics: Marsha Blackburn
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database