A tense exchange between Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and a local reporter has gone viral after an elevator repeatedly delayed the senator’s exit while she declined to answer questions about her campaign for governor.
The awkward interaction unfolded after Blackburn spoke at an event hosted by the Greater Nashville Technology Council that members of the media had been invited to attend.
According to journalist Ben Hall of NewsChannel 5 Nashville, reporters were told Blackburn would take questions afterward about her campaign for governor. Instead, Hall said, the Republican senator headed directly toward the elevators once her remarks concluded.
“I just had the most awkward interaction with Senator Marsha Blackburn, who’s running for governor of Tennessee and refuses to debate her Republican opponents or answer unscripted questions,” Hall said in a video posted online.
Video footage shows Hall attempting to ask Blackburn about her gubernatorial campaign before an aide intervened, saying there was no time for questions.
Hall then noted that reporters had been told Blackburn would answer questions about her run for governor.
“We were told you were going to answer some questions,” Hall said in the video. “Why don’t you have time to talk? Shouldn’t you talk to voters about what you plan to do as governor?”
Blackburn responded that she and her campaign were “talking to Tennesseans every single day.”
Hall later asked why Blackburn has declined to debate her Republican opponents.
“We’re talking to Tennesseans every single day, every single day,” Blackburn replied.
As the pair waited more than a minute for the elevator doors to close, Hall continued pressing the senator on whether voters had a right to hear her answers on campaign issues.
When Hall suggested she was avoiding questions and noted that she had repeatedly declined interview requests, Blackburn responded, “Not at all,” before again saying she was speaking with Tennesseans “every single day.”
The most viral moment came when the elevator doors unexpectedly reopened after appearing to close, giving Hall another opportunity to ask a question.
Hall asked Blackburn why she had changed her vote to certify the 2020 presidential election. Blackburn responded only by saying, “Thank you,” before the doors finally closed.
“She thought she escaped, but clearly the elevator had other plans,” Hall joked in his online segment.
The video quickly spread online, with many viewers commenting on the unusually long and awkward elevator ride and Blackburn’s repeated refusal to directly answer Hall’s questions.
