Sen. Marsha Blackburn Joins Handful of Tennessee Republicans Endorsing Trump

Donald Trump, who was then-U.S. president, and Marsha Blackburn, then a House lawmaker (R-Tenn.) running for Senate, address the crowd during a campaign rally at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tennessee, on Oct. 1, 2018. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) announced Monday that she is endorsing Donald Trump for president, adding to the growing list of Republican lawmakers who are officially backing the former commander-in-chief.

“Under President Trump, our economy was booming, gas prices were low, and inflation was under control. Our [b]order was secure, our adversaries feared us, [and] our military was strong,” Blackburn wrote on Twitter. “I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President and can’t wait until he’s back in the White House.”

Early polling numbers show that Trump is an early favorite in the Republican presidential race, besting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not confirmed if he’s running. Trump’s poll numbers appear to have risen even further after he was arraigned at a Manhattan courthouse earlier this month on charges of falsifying business records.

Blackburn’s endorsement follows one made by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who said Sunday he is giving his “whole-hearted endorsement to Donald J. Trump to be the next President of the United States. I was honored to previously serve in his Administration.” Hagerty had served in the Trump administration as his U.S. ambassador to Japan.

“Under President Trump, our border was secure, our nation was energy independent, & we witnessed a Blue-Collar Boom that lifted up American workers of all backgrounds,” Hagerty said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we engaged with strength, & we encouraged our allies to stand strong with us.”

“The mandate for a strong America has never been clearer, and I look forward to working again with President Trump to help our great nation find its way back from the precipice to the exceptional role we can and must play as a nation,” he concluded.

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Capitol Hill on June 23, 2021. (Sarah Silbiger-Pool/Getty Images)

A handful of other Republican senators have backed Trump. They include Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).

So far, Trump has received endorsements from eight Republican House representatives from Texas as well as Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), according to Ballotopedia. The website says that the former president has obtained at least 55 “noteworthy” endorsements.

Over the weekend, two House members from Tennessee---Reps. John Rose (R) and Diana Harshbarger (R)---said they are endorsing Trump.

Since being indicted, Trump has made it a focus of his 2024 campaign. Frequently via his Truth Social website, the former president has said that he is being politically persecuted, while he recently announced he would target left-wing district attorneys.

“There is no more dire threat to the American way of life than the corruption and weaponization of our justice system—and it’s happening all around us. If we cannot restore the fair and impartial rule of law, we will not be a free country,” Trump said in a recent policy-related video, adding that he will appoint 100 U.S. attorneys that will be the “polar opposite” of ones that embrace leftist policies.

And so far, DeSantis has not received any endorsements from any Republican senators. Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) appear to be the only two congressional Republicans to have endorsed DeSantis.

“When other Republicans were faltering in key races, Governor DeSantis provided a positive vision for the future with prudent, conservative action. The result was crystal clear: Republicans enjoyed sweeping, historic performances statewide,” Roy, an outspoken member of the House Freedom Caucus, said earlier this year. But he made it clear that he will back the eventual Republican nominee for president.

No senators have endorsed declared Republican candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. In March, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said he’s backing Haley, becoming the former U.N. ambassador to the U.S.’s only notable GOP endorsement to date.