Blackburn’s first campaign ad for governor’s race pulls out anti-China playbook

Two years ago, US Senator Marsha Blackburn shattered plates of fine china in a campaign ad while accusing Chinese companies and land grabs in Tennessee and manufacturing the COVID virus.

This week, she unveiled her first gubernatorial ad with China again at the forefront using the same playbook.

“How hard am I gonna crack down on China? Well, here’s a clue,” says Blackburn as she grinds up fortune cookies in her hand behind an oriental soundtrack while an announcer predicts her hard stance on shell companies from China buying up acres of land in Tennessee.

Asian advocacy groups in the state criticized Blackburn for those prior ads in 2024, accusing her of stirring up Sinophobia following a rash of unprovoked attacks on Asian Americans.

“(Sinophobic) messages like this are not just untrue, they continue to sow division and have real consequences on the safety and well-being of our community,” said Asian & Pacific Islanders of Middle Tennessee Executive Director Joseph Gutierrez in a 2024 interview with the Nashville Banner.

According to the Tennessean, Blackburn’s campaign paid more than $110,000 for the new television ad to run across the state.