FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) attends a press conference in favor of the proposed "SAVE America Act", which would require proof of U.S. citizenship in registering to vote and a photo ID for casting ballots, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
Sen. Marsha Blackburn has a plan for the Senate seat she would leave behind if she wins Tennessee's governorship, and it hinges on timing her exit so she picks her own replacement.
Blackburn, 74, won the Aug. 6 Republican gubernatorial primary with about 43 percent of the vote over Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts, advancing to the Nov. 3 general election against Democrat Jerri Green. In a state where Democrats haven't won statewide since 2006, she is a heavy favorite to succeed term-limited Gov. Bill Lee.
If she wins, her Senate seat, which she captured in 2018 and holds until 2031, comes open. Under Tennessee law, the governor appoints an interim senator, and voters pick a permanent successor at the next regular November election, in 2028.
Blackburn told the Nashville Banner she intends to keep her Senate seat until she is sworn in as governor in January, so that she, not the outgoing Lee, makes the prized choice. She called it "inappropriate" to name any potential appointees.
The timing would let Blackburn choose her own successor rather than hand the pick to a governor on his way out.
Blackburn ran a primary heavy on national themes, leaning on hardline anti-China and anti-"communist" messaging and telling crowds that "socialism stops at the Tennessee state line." She has brushed off an unflattering national ranking of the state, even as she faced questions about her Senate office's conduct, including a 2025 ethics review into whether taxpayer resources aided her campaigns.