Sen. Marsha Blackburn is back in the national spotlight after winning the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee, raising fresh interest in her husband, children, parents and personal wealth.
Blackburn defeated U.S. Rep. John Rose in the Republican primary on August 6, 2026. She will face Democrat Jerri Green in November and enters the general election as the favorite in heavily Republican Tennessee.
Away from politics, Blackburn has been married to Chuck Blackburn for more than 50 years. They have two children, Mary Morgan Ketchel and Chad Blackburn, and four grandchildren, according to her gubernatorial campaign biography.
Her latest available financial disclosures, meanwhile, suggest a personal net worth around the $1 million range, although congressional disclosure rules make it impossible to establish one exact number.
Marsha Blackburn family and net worth at a glance
- Husband: Charles “Chuck” Blackburn
- Married: 1974
- Children: Two
- Daughter: Mary Morgan Ketchel
- Son: Chad Blackburn
- Grandchildren: Four
- Father: Hilman Wedgeworth
- Mother: Mary Jo Morgan Wedgeworth
- Birthplace: Laurel, Mississippi
- Age: 74
- Current position: U.S. senator from Tennessee
- 2026 election: Republican nominee for Tennessee governor
- Estimated net worth: Around $1 million based on recent financial-disclosure analyses
- Reported disclosure range: Approximately $65,000 to $1.5 million
Blackburn’s political career is entering another potentially historic phase.
After winning the August 6 Republican primary, she is now seeking to move from the U.S. Senate to the Tennessee governor’s mansion. A November victory would make her the state’s first female governor and further extend a political career that already spans more than three decades.
Behind that public career is a family structure that has remained remarkably consistent: more than 50 years of marriage to Chuck Blackburn, two adult children and roots in the Mississippi household of Hilman and Mary Jo Wedgeworth.
Who is Marsha Blackburn’s husband?
Marsha Blackburn’s husband is Charles “Chuck” Blackburn.
The couple married in 1974, meaning they have now been married for more than five decades. Mississippi State University’s archive on Blackburn confirms the 1974 marriage.
Her current gubernatorial campaign describes Marsha and Chuck as having been married for 50 years, reflecting the information prepared around the beginning of her campaign.
The couple lives in Tennessee’s Williamson County area.
Unlike his wife, Chuck has largely remained outside elected politics.
An older profile of Blackburn published by Memphis Magazine described Chuck as a sales executive.
He has nevertheless appeared with his wife during her political career and has long been part of the Blackburn family’s life in Tennessee.
How did Marsha Blackburn meet her husband?
Detailed accounts of exactly how Marsha and Chuck first met are scarce.
What is publicly documented is that they married shortly after her college years.
Blackburn graduated from Mississippi State University in the early 1970s and married Chuck in 1974.
The couple later settled in Tennessee, where Blackburn became involved in Republican politics and eventually built a career stretching from local party organizing to the U.S. Senate.
Does Marsha Blackburn have children?
Yes. Marsha Blackburn and her husband Chuck have two children: a daughter, Mary Morgan Ketchel, and a son, Chad Blackburn.
The Smithsonian and Blackburn’s own campaign biography both identify the two children.
Their children are:
- Mary Morgan Blackburn Ketchel
- Chad Blackburn
Blackburn’s gubernatorial campaign says she and Chuck also have four grandchildren.
The campaign biography offers a glimpse into Blackburn’s family life, saying her grandchildren call her “Marshie” and regularly join the family for Sunday lunches after church.
Who is Marsha Blackburn’s daughter Mary Morgan Ketchel?
Mary Morgan Ketchel is Marsha and Chuck Blackburn’s daughter.
She has occasionally been involved in projects connected to her mother’s political interests.
Most notably, Mary Morgan co-authored the children’s book “Camilla Can Vote” with her mother.
The book centers on women’s voting rights and the history of women’s suffrage.
Mary Morgan is married to Paul Ketchel, according to family information published in official and biographical sources.
She is one of Blackburn’s two children and has largely maintained a lower public profile than her mother.
Who is Marsha Blackburn’s son Chad Blackburn?
Chad Blackburn is Marsha Blackburn’s son.
Biographical information associated with Blackburn identifies him as Charles “Chad” Blackburn.
He has worked in business development and has previously been identified as a business development executive in the Nashville area.
Chad is married to Hillary Blackburn. Blackburn family records also show the couple among Marsha’s immediate family.
Neither Chad nor Mary Morgan has followed their mother into high-profile elected office.
Who are Marsha Blackburn’s parents?
Marsha Blackburn was born to Hilman Wedgeworth and Mary Jo Morgan Wedgeworth.
Her birth name was Mary Marsha Wedgeworth.
She was born on June 6, 1952, in Laurel, Mississippi, where her family had deep roots.
Her parents remained married for 67 years.
Both were also active in business, community organizations and civic life.
Who was Marsha Blackburn’s father Hilman Wedgeworth?
Blackburn’s father, Hilman Wedgeworth, worked in sales and management.
He retired from Armco Steel/National Supply Company and was also a co-owner of M&D Sales in Laurel, Mississippi.
His background offers an interesting parallel to Blackburn’s own early professional life, which also involved sales and business before politics.
Hilman was also a World War II U.S. Army veteran.
Later in life, he became heavily involved in civic activities.
His obituary noted that he was a founding member of the Jones County Sheriff’s Volunteer Deputy program and received recognition for his volunteer service.
Hilman Wedgeworth died in 2013 at age 87.
Who was Marsha Blackburn’s mother Mary Jo Wedgeworth?
Blackburn’s mother was Mary Jo Morgan Wedgeworth.
Mary Jo had her own notable history with 4-H, an organization that later played an important role in her daughter’s early life.
As a young woman, Mary Jo won the 1944 National 4-H Club Girl Achievement Award and President’s Trophy.
Blackburn herself later attended Mississippi State University on a 4-H scholarship.
Mary Jo remained active in volunteer and community work in Laurel.
When she died in 2022 at age 97, Blackburn paid tribute to her mother on the Senate floor, remembering her legacy of family, friendship and service.
Mary Jo and Hilman had three children:
- James Wedgeworth
- Marsha Blackburn
- Karen Miller
Mary Jo died nine years after her husband.
What is Marsha Blackburn’s net worth in 2026?
Marsha Blackburn’s net worth appears to be approximately $1 million, but there is no single official figure.
This distinction is important.
Members of Congress disclose assets and liabilities in value ranges, rather than giving the public their exact bank balances and investment values.
As a result, any website claiming Blackburn is worth an extremely precise amount should be treated cautiously.
One financial-data service, Capitol Markets, currently estimates Blackburn’s disclosed net worth at approximately $785,000, with a possible disclosure-derived range of roughly $65,000 to $1.5 million. The estimate is based on her November 2025 Senate financial disclosure.
Quiver Quantitative separately estimated Blackburn’s net worth at approximately $1.1 million after analyzing her September 2025 annual disclosure.
A reasonable interpretation of the available records is therefore that Blackburn’s disclosed wealth sits around the $1 million level, rather than the much larger figures sometimes repeated on unsourced celebrity-net-worth websites.
What assets does Marsha Blackburn own?
Blackburn’s latest financial disclosure contains several investment and banking accounts.
Quiver’s analysis of the disclosure identified holdings including:
- Up to $250,000 in Principal Diversified Growth investments
- Up to $250,000 in American Funds New Perspective Fund
- Up to $250,000 in Pinnacle Bank
- Other retirement, investment and cash holdings
Because Senate disclosure forms use broad ranges, the listed maximum values should not be added together and treated as her exact wealth.
They simply provide a window into the types and approximate values of assets she and her household report.
How did Marsha Blackburn make her money?
Blackburn’s income and wealth were accumulated over a career that existed long before she became a U.S. senator.
Before entering Congress, she worked in sales, marketing and business.
Her professional history includes:
- Working as a sales manager for Times Mirror
- Working for the Castner Knott retail company
- Selling educational books while in college
- Starting her own marketing company
- Serving as executive director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission
- Serving in elected state and federal office
The U.S. House historian identifies Blackburn as a business owner before and during her transition into public service.
She established Marketing Strategies, a promotion and event-management company, in the late 1970s before becoming a full-time political figure.
What is Marsha Blackburn’s salary?
As a sitting U.S. senator, Blackburn receives the standard congressional salary.
Rank-and-file U.S. senators are paid $174,000 per year.
That salary is separate from campaign funds.
This is an important distinction because large numbers reported around Blackburn’s campaigns do not represent money that she personally owns.
Is Marsha Blackburn worth millions because of campaign donations?
No. Campaign money and personal net worth are completely different things.
This distinction is especially relevant now because millions of dollars have flowed into the 2026 Tennessee governor’s race.
Campaign funds belong to political committees and are regulated by campaign-finance law. Candidates cannot simply treat that money as personal income.
So headlines discussing several million dollars raised or spent on Blackburn’s gubernatorial campaign should not be used to calculate her personal fortune.
Her personal wealth is instead estimated from financial disclosures listing household investments, bank accounts, liabilities and other reportable assets.
