Marsha Blackburn ad smashes fortune cookies, vows to hunt communists
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn smashed fortune cookies in her first self-funded Tennessee governor ad, pledging to "hunt down communists" and block Chinese land ownership. The roughly $112,000 statewide spot drew viral attention and criticism of anti-Asian stereotypes, even as a PAC poured more than $1 million into separate TV ads backing her bid.
Key Takeaways
- Blackburn's July 2026 ad is the first her campaign paid for, buying about $112,000 in statewide airtime as of July 6.
- A Washington-based PAC, Tennessee Freedom Fund, had already spent more than $1 million on TV ads supporting her governor race.
- The spot shows Blackburn crushing fortune cookies in a restaurant-style set while vowing to stop "communist China."
- Critics, including MS NOW commentators, called the imagery racist and noted fortune cookies were invented in the U.S. by Japanese immigrants.
- President Donald Trump has not endorsed Blackburn or her primary rival, Rep. John Rose, despite PAC ads featuring him.
What happened in Marsha Blackburn's fortune cookie ad?
In a new ad for Tennessee governor, Marsha Blackburn sits at a table with a menu, soy sauce and a basket of fortune cookies. She asks, "How hard am I going to crack down on China? Well, here's a clue," then cracks a cookie on the table and crushes several more in her hands.
Crumbled slips read that Blackburn will protect Tennessee land from China and "hunt down communists." A narrator says she worked with Trump to take on communist China and, as governor, would fight Chinese-owned companies and close loopholes. She closes by saying, "It doesn't take a fortune cookie to figure it out."
Why is the ad drawing backlash from critics?
MS NOW described the video as a prime example of conservatives leaning into anti-Asian racism and anti-Chinese xenophobia ahead of the midterms. Commentators rebuked the spot while noting that modern fortune cookies were not invented in China but rather in the United States by Japanese immigrants.
The Independent reported the ad drew widespread attention for its theatrical imagery, including a gong sound at the close. MS NOW linked it to a broader pattern, citing a separate Arizona Republican ad that used gong noise and stereotypical Asian imagery to attack Asian American candidate Kimberly Yee.
How much is Blackburn spending on her governor race?
According to The Tennessean, Blackburn's campaign purchased about $112,000 in statewide airtime for this ad as of July 6, marking her first paid spot in the contest. That spend sits alongside more than $1 million in TV advertising already bought by the Tennessee Freedom Fund, a Washington-based PAC backing her bid.
The layered ad strategy reflects how wealthy outside groups and candidate committees are competing to define a high-profile Republican primary. For more on how political wealth shapes races, see our Net Worth & Wealth coverage.
What does the ad signal about GOP campaign messaging?
MS NOW argued that with polls showing broad opposition to Trump and the GOP agenda, some Republicans are leaning into overt racism rather than policy arguments. Blackburn's China-focused messaging is not new; The Tennessean noted she has long criticized the Chinese Communist Party, backed legislation targeting Confucius Institutes and visited Taiwan in 2022.
Yet The Independent noted Trump has withheld his endorsement in Tennessee's Republican gubernatorial primary between Blackburn and Rose, even as PAC ads feature clips praising her. The fortune-cookie spot shows how hardline foreign-policy branding and provocative cultural imagery remain central to her pitch for the governor's mansion.