Key keywords: Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee governor race 2026, Tennessee reproductive rights, Tennessee public education funding, Medicaid expansion Tennessee, gun control policy Tennessee, Marsha Blackburn political record, Tennessee voter guide As a lifelong Tennessee resident who has voted for both Democratic and Republican candidates over the past 30 years, I have never felt more compelled to speak out against a candidate than I do about Marsha Blackburn’s run for governor. For years, Blackburn’s record as a U.S. Senator has consistently prioritized special interest donors and far-right ideological extremes over the needs of everyday Tennesseans, and there is no evidence she would govern any differently if elected to lead our state. First, Blackburn’s uncompromising support for Tennessee’s total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or life-threatening maternal complications has already endangered hundreds of women across the state. In the two years since the ban went into effect, there have been dozens of documented cases of pregnant people being denied critical care for ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, and life-threatening fetal anomalies, forced to wait until their health was at immediate risk of death before receiving treatment. Blackburn has repeatedly dismissed these stories as “fake news” and stated she would veto any effort to add even the most basic exceptions to the ban, putting the lives of every person of childbearing age in Tennessee at risk. Second, Blackburn’s record on public education is disastrous for Tennessee’s 1.1 million public school students. She has repeatedly called for cutting $1 billion in state funding for public K-12 schools to redirect to private charter school vouchers, even as Tennessee ranks 45th in the nation for average teacher pay, with 40% of public school teachers working second jobs to cover basic living expenses. She has also voiced support for banning books that address civil rights history, LGBTQ+ identity, and climate science from school libraries, ignoring the concerns of 70% of Tennessee parents who say they trust local educators to choose appropriate learning materials for their children. Third, Blackburn’s longstanding opposition to Medicaid expansion has cost Tennessee an estimated $15 billion in federal funding and led to more than 2,000 preventable deaths among low-income Tennesseans since 2014, according to data from the Vanderbilt University Center for Health Policy. She has also taken more than $3 million in campaign donations from the National Rifle Association, and repeatedly blocked bipartisan gun safety legislation including universal background checks and assault weapon bans, even after the 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville that killed three 9-year-old children and three staff members. Tennessee needs a governor who will fight for all residents, not just wealthy donors and extreme partisan groups. Marsha Blackburn’s record makes clear she is not that candidate, which is why I will not be voting for her in 2026, and will be encouraging every neighbor, friend, and family member to do the same.