FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Rep. Marsha Blackburn notched a key Senate win for the Republicans in Tuesday’s midterm elections, defeating the Democratic former governor, Phil Bredesen, in a result that could put the Senate majority out of reach for the Democrats.
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Blackburn will succeed Republican Sen. Bob Corker, who is retiring at year’s end, and become the first woman to hold one of Tennessee’s seats in the U.S. Senate. Bredesen, a centrist and well thought of during his tenure as the state’s chief executive, put up a tough fight, running what many Republicans describe as a picture-perfect campaign. But Tennessee’s partisan leanings — voters here delivered 61 percent of their vote to President Trump in 2016 — were too much for Bredesen to overcome.
Blackburn achieved firmer ground in this contest after the late September Senate hearings to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. That episode featured Democrats levying charges of sexual misconduct that were never corroborated, and the GOP base responded with a fury. Trump also played a key role elevating Blackburn.
The president barnstormed red America in the final weeks of the campaign, visiting Tennessee multiple times to boost Blackburn. She has said that he deserves a lot of credit for her commanding position in the race down the stretch.
