Full Breakdown
Marsha Blackburn Uses Fortune Cookies to Symbolize Anti-China Stance in Gubernatorial Campaign
7/10/2026, 2:26:48 PM
Campaign Video Highlights Anti-Communist Message
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) posted a video on X in which she sits in a stylized Chinese-restaurant setting, crushes fortune cookies, and declares she will “stop Communist China” as a candidate for Tennessee governor. The visual ends with a gong-like sound and an image of a maneki-neko, a Japanese “beckoning cat” figurine often seen in Chinatowns. The clip frames her anti-China platform as a central theme of her campaign.
Political Background and Campaign Context
Blackburn entered the Tennessee Senate in 2019 after 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she represented the 7th district from 2003. She announced her gubernatorial bid in August 2023 and seeks to become the state’s first female governor. While she repeatedly references collaboration with former President Donald Trump, Trump has publicly declined to endorse either Blackburn or her primary opponent, Rep. John Rose, despite extensive pro-Blackburn advertising by outside political action committees.
Official Campaign Messaging
The video’s narration states that Blackburn “worked with President Donald Trump to take on Communist China” and promises to “protect Tennessee land from Chinese front companies, close loopholes, and hunt down every Communist who tries to defy us.” The messaging ties foreign-policy rhetoric to a pledge to safeguard state land and economic interests.
Criticism of Symbolism and Historical Accuracy
Observers note that fortune cookies, though popularly linked to Chinese cuisine, were popularized in early-20th-century California by Japanese immigrant Makoto Hagiwara, and that the maneki-neko originates from Japan, not China. Critics argue the imagery serves as a political gimmick that conflates unrelated cultural symbols with anti-China sentiment.
Verbatim Quotes
- “How hard am I gonna crack down on China?” — Marsha Blackburn
- “ It doesn’t take a fortune cookie to figure it out…” — Marsha Blackburn
- “Here in Tennessee, we’re gonna stop Communist China and protect Tennessee land.” — Marsha Blackburn
- “Marsha Blackburn worked with President [Donald] Trump to take on Communist China. As governor, Marsha will fight to protect Tennessee land from Chinese front companies, close loopholes, and hunt down every Communist who tries to defy us.” — video narrator
