World-renowned economist Dr. Arthur Laffer, a Tennessee resident and one of the country’s most influential advocates of supply-side economics, has endorsed U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN) campaign for governor, praising her long-standing commitment to lower taxes and pro-growth economic policies.
Laffer, a Tennessee resident who served on President Ronald Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board, advised President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, co-authored the book Trumponomics, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump in 2019, and is widely known for developing the Laffer Curve, a foundational supply-side economic theory illustrating the relationship between tax rates and government revenue.
Art Laffer has contributed unmatched knowledge of politics and economics in service to the American people since Ronald Reagan's presidency, and he is a true friend who provides wise counsel. I am grateful for his support as we work to ensure Tennessee is America's conservative… pic.twitter.com/cufmQcy2ez
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) July 31, 2026
He previously endorsed Blackburn during her successful 2018 U.S. Senate campaign.
“It is my honor to support my friend, Marsha Blackburn, to be the next Governor of Tennessee,” Laffer said in a statement released by Blackburn’s campaign. “Throughout her career, she has consistently fought for lower taxes and pro-growth policies that have made Tennessee one of the nation’s strongest economies. Marsha has the proven leadership and determination to keep fighting for what works. That’s exactly what Tennessee needs.”
Blackburn said Laffer’s endorsement reinforces her campaign’s focus on preserving Tennessee’s conservative economic model.
“Art Laffer has contributed unmatched knowledge of politics and economics in service to the American people since Ronald Reagan’s presidency, and he is a true friend who provides wise counsel,” Blackburn said. “I am grateful for his support as we work to ensure Tennessee is America’s conservative leader and remains the lowest tax state in the nation.”
Laffer’s endorsement comes after he spent years leading the fight to eliminate Tennessee’s inheritance, estate, and gift taxes.
After relocating to Tennessee, Laffer became one of the state’s most prominent advocates for repealing what he called “death taxes,” remarking in 2012, “Don’t die here,” while urging lawmakers to abolish the taxes.
Through the organization Tennesseans Against Death Taxes, Laffer authored a policy paper arguing the taxes discouraged investment and drove wealth out of the Volunteer State.
The Tennessee General Assembly ultimately phased out Tennessee’s inheritance tax, with the repeal becoming fully effective on January 1, 2016. Tennessee also eliminated its gift tax and does not impose a state estate tax, meaning residents no longer face any state-level inheritance, gift, or estate taxes.
Laffer also has been a vocal opponent of higher Tennessee taxes, including testifying against former Governor Bill Haslam’s 2017 gas tax proposal by arguing that “we don’t need more taxes in Tennessee.”
Laffer’s endorsement follows another high-profile endorsement Blackburn received this week from Tennessee personal finance expert Dave Ramsey.
Ramsey highlighted the pair’s decades-long friendship and their work together opposing efforts to establish a state income tax, another issue that has become a central theme of Blackburn’s gubernatorial campaign as she pledges to keep Tennessee’s taxes low while pursuing additional conservative economic reforms to make the Volunteer State “America’s conservative leader.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
