Diane Black

Diane Black (born January 16, 1951, in Baltimore, Maryland), a Republican, was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1999–2005), the Tennessee Senate (2005–2010), and the U.S. House of Representatives for Tennessee's 6th congressional district, succeeding retiring Democrat Bart Gordon in 2011 and leaving office in January 2019.

In 2016, she fought off a primary challenge for her House district from pro-Trump, anti-establishment Joe Carr.

She ran for Governor of Tennessee in 2018 but was defeated in the primary by Bill Lee.

Political Positions

Black was regarded as having a mixed voting record during her time in Congress. She was regarded as pro-Life and a member of the Congressional pro-Life caucus. Towards the end of her term, she was considered a RINO, particularly on matters of immigration.

Black faced years of criticism for awarding her husband's company numerous no-bid state contracts. This led to the couple receiving millions in profits on the back of taxpayer's money.

During the 2016 presidential primaries, Black was initially a critic of President Trump's platform, disagreeing with his proposed travel ban, and saying of the southern border wall: "that won't work." She later flip-flopped on her public comments after feeling threatened by a primary challenge for her House district.

She faced further criticism for her liberal immigration views during the 2018 gubernatorial primary, including her vote to award drivers licenses to illegals.