Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) took to Fox News Sunday to dismiss a new report that named her state as the single-worst state to live in for 2026, a ranking the gubernatorial hopeful dismissed as “laughable.”
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Last week, CNBC ranked what it considered to be the 10 worst states to live in, using metrics like crime rates, air quality and health care access to determine its rankings. Tennessee topped the list largely due to its high crime rate and lack of worker protections.
The list immediately sparked disdain from Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, who suggested its creation was politically motivated to target Republicans.
“There was a report out of CNBC this week that determined Tennessee is the worst place to live in America,” Bartiromo said. “Now, I have an issue with these because ironically, or coincidently – or not coincidently – they’re all red states!”
The Fox News host then admitted, “They say to determine the rankings, they utilized hard data on factors like crime rates, air quality and health care.”
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Appearing alongside Bartiromo, Blackburn quickly dismissed CNBC’s list as inaccurate – but rather than refuting the underlying data, she pivoted to touting Tennessee’s “election integrity.”
“That report was absolutely laughable! Tennessee has the lowest-per-capita tax rate, we are rated as one of the most fiscally responsible states, we rank number one in election integrity!” Blackburn said.
The Tennessee Republican also took issue with which state CNBC ranked as the best state to live in, Vermont, and its senior senator, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
“Look at who they said was the best state: Vermont, Bernie Sanders!” Blackburn said. “In Tennessee, we’re not for government control, we’re for individual freedom, and as governor, I’m going to make certain that we are the freest state in the United States.”
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