Mississippi Legends: Laurel’s Marsha Blackburn blazes new trails

• Blackburn attended Mississippi State on a 4-H scholarship and found that she thrived on campus politics.

Tennessee congressman and now a two-term senator. An outspoken and sought-after voice on national news broadcasts, talk shows, and podcasts, she never dodges a question and is fearless when it comes to questioning a witness brought before a committee where she serves.

It was indeed Marsha Blackburn who asked a flustered Supreme Court justice nominee in a televised hearing for the definition of the word “woman.”  In the middle of contentious debates while the cameras roll, Marsha remains cool, never raises her voice, and never stops talking.

She is not afraid of glass ceilings, having shattered several in her lifetime. With her August 6 announcement to throw her hat in the ring for the 2026 Tennessee Governor’s race, Mary Marsha Wedgeworth Blackburn, a Laurel, Mississippi native and 1973 graduate of Mississippi State University is likely on her way to another impressive win.

Polls by the conservative news and commentary website, Tennessee Star, revealed a 52% lead over her Republican primary opponent. The nonprofit, independent think tank Beacon Center concurred. Other early polls are unanimous in declaring her the clear frontrunner.

Marsha’s foray into politics did not begin with her initial election to the Tennessee State Legislature in 2002. Leadership was in her DNA from childhood, influenced by her mother’s admonition to “Always give back more than you take,” and to “Leave a place better than you found it.”

She attended Mississippi State on a 4-H scholarship, found that she thrived on campus politics, and was elected President of the Associated Women Students. Her college roommate, Madison resident Chyrl Grubbs, still laughs when she talks about their “odd couple” friendship. Marsha was focused and disciplined during those college years. While her sorority sisters fixated on the afternoon football game and the perfect attire, Marsha pored over a speech she was to give at a pre-game rally for a cause she championed.

“Marsha has not changed one bit in all these years. She is still down to earth and goes the extra mile to meet up with me and our fellow Chi Omegas.” Whether in Nashville or Washington, D.C., those friends who call themselves the “River Rats” pick up right where they left off every time. Old times, old stories, and much laughter abound.

A Checkered Resume

When Marsha graduated from MSU in 1973, she applied for a summer job with the Southwestern Company of Nashville. Recognized as the oldest door-to-door sales company in the United States, its summer intern program attracted many aspiring and motivated college students during the 1970s. Marsha was their first female hire.

After a rigorous training program, the newly initiated salesmen took to the streets, knocking on doors in the Southern summer heat with their dictionaries, reference books, and children’s books, and their convincing sales pitches. Pay was straight commission.

Marsha admits it was the most challenging job she ever had, but one of the most rewarding. She was so successful that she captured the attention of management, who asked her to help organize a new all-female sales division. That groundbreaking feat led to an invitation to appear as a contestant on the popular game television show, What’s My Line? 

A young University of Texas graduate and Southwestern intern, Chuck Blackburn, happened to tune in to the game show that evening. He was immediately impressed, calling her “bright, confident, articulate, and beautiful.” The rest is history. Marsha and Chuck will celebrate their fifty-first wedding anniversary in 2025.

The Blackburns put a high priority on investing themselves in the church and the community. As charter members of Christ Presbyterian Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, Chuck serves as a deacon, and Marsha has taken on various roles over the years, including leading the Cherub choir, teaching Sunday School, and leading women’s retreats.

In 1992, she was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress. To her surprise, she thoroughly enjoyed the campaign, despite the long hours and hard work. She loved meeting people and appreciated the way her family pitched in to support her.

Over the next few years, Marsha continued to volunteer, run her small business, Marketing Strategies, a promotion and event management firm, and take on appointments such as the Executive Director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment, and Music Commission.

In 1998, she was elected to the Tennessee State Senate and gained national notoriety for her stand against the establishment of a state income tax.

Second Chances

In 2002, Marsha was approached a second time about running for the U.S. House. Her son and daughter had left the nest, and her experience and resume had grown. With the encouragement of her family, she entered the race to represent the Seventh District, emerging as an underdog and ultimately winning a few months later.

In 2018, Marsha was elected Tennessee’s first woman to the United States Senate and was re-elected to a second term in 2024. After 23 years in the nation’s capital, she believes it is time to come home, not exactly in retirement, but rather to serve her constituents in a different capacity.

She says, “During my service in Washington, I have had the privilege of fighting for Tennessee values on th national level, championing conservative policy, and pushing back against the liberal woke agenda. This work in the federal government is critical, but as President Trump continues to shift power back to the states, I believe that I can best make a positive impact for Tennesseans as their governor. This shift of power back to the people and to the states — where it always should have been — is the perfect opportunity for Tennessee to innovate in everything from technology to the way we fight crime.”

Senator Blackburn’s three top priorities as a governor will be “Keeping our economy strong, stopping illegal immigration, and keeping our communities safe.” Governor Blackburn, just like Congressman Blackburn and Senator Blackburn, will never lose sight of who she is as Chuck Blackburn’s wife, or Mary Morgan Ketchel’s and Chad Blackburn’s Mom.

She is also a devoted grandmother, affectionately known as “Marshie” to her four grandchildren: Jack (16), Chase (15), Mary Bret (5), and Freeman (2).

How does she juggle it all? “Balancing everything certainly can be difficult at times,” she says candidly, “but the love that I have for my family and for representing the great state of Tennessee makes it worth it. Each week, I look forward to Sunday lunch after church with my grandchildren. I sought out public service as a way to leave things better than I found them, and that means leaving a stronger Tennessee for my children and grandchildren.”

A very large Mississippi fan base will be following Tennessee’s Gubernatorial Race next year. Count on it!