“I really wanted this endorsement because I want people to know how important it is to have someone go to Washington who is going to protect our small businesses,” Black said.

The Tennessee state director of NFIB, Jim Brown, was very enthusiastic about his group’s support for Black.

“We ballot our members in House district six, and nearly 90 percent of our members are supporting Diane Black for congress,” Brown said.

A small business owner herself, Black said things like the new health care law and cap-and-trade legislation put pressure on businesses, and that the government needed to “live within its means.”

“You just need to go around and talk to all these folks who are business owners and ask, ‘What do you need,’” she said, “and they’ll tell you consistently, and this is very, very consistent: get out of our way. Just let us be business owners, and stop putting things on us that squash us.”

Black is running against Democrat Brett Carter for reetiring Rep. Bart Gordon's seat. Early voting starts Wednesday for the Nov. 2 election.