Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told reporters on Friday she is “confident” in the security of the Volunteer State’s elections after she cast her vote early for the November 5 general election at an early voting polling location in Brentwood.
“We know that in Tennessee, we have the most secure elections in the country and our Secretary of State, Tre Hargett, gets a lot of credit for that. I know Tennesseans are confident they can show up, cast their vote, and that vote’s going to be counted,” Blackburn said.
This morning, I cast my vote EARLY for @realDonaldTrump and Republicans down the ballot!#TeamMarsha #VoteTrump #VoteMarsha pic.twitter.com/gOMcNcbqoP
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) October 25, 2024
Tennessee has consistently led the nation in maintaining the most secure elections, according to the Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard. The state’s current score is 90 out of 100 – the highest in the nation.
When asked by a reporter what were the “most important” policies that brought Blackburn to the polls, the incumbent U.S. senator said she has heard from Tennesseans that the most important overall issues from voters are the economy, job market, and the effects of illegal immigration.
“What we’re hearing about across this state and from Tennesseans is concerns over inflation in the economy. They’re concerned about the job market. They’re concerned that wages have stagnated, that people are not hiring right now,” Blackburn explained.
“We hear about the border and the impact of illegal immigration – gangs, crime in our communities, human trafficking, sex trafficking. We hear a lot about terrorists that have come into the country and people are very concerned about the 10.5 million people that have illegally entered the country and haven’t come in obeying our laws,” Blackburn added.
Blackburn was also asked if she had any more comments about her recent campaign ad regarding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in which the senator shatters red ceramic plates emblazoned with the Chinese flag.
It’s time to break some China. pic.twitter.com/WMEwcIZZ7F
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) October 16, 2024
Blackburn said the ad, which has received criticism from the Left, has “led to a lot of agreement” among individuals and Tennesseans regarding the CCP’s advancements over the U.S.
“China is part of the Axis of Evil with Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. It is the Chinese Communist Party, it is not the people of China. We know that the Chinese Communist Party has a goal, and that is to be globally dominant by 2050. We know that the Chinese Communist Party spies on our people…We know China has tried to buy farmland in this country. We know that China sent a spy balloon to fly across this country and pull information from all of our military bases. We know China has cost American jobs that got shipped there. We know China took those jobs and then they ended up sending us a virus,” Blackburn explained.
“We also know, on behalf of our [agriculture] community in West Tennessee, China does not live up to their trade deals. China ought to be made to live up to those trade deals, and this administration has been very weak when it comes to foreign policy. It has been very weak when it comes to protecting our people and our industries from adverse influence,” Blackburn added.
Early in-person voting in Tennessee is available Monday through Saturday and runs through October 31, with times varying by polling location.
Absentee mail-in ballots must be requested by Tuesday, October 29, and received by voters’ respective election commissions no later than the close of polls on Election Day.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
