Blackwood was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Narracan at the 2006 state election, and faced a difficult race against two-term incumbent Ian Maxfield, who held the seat with a margin of nearly 7%.

Though the Liberals were badly beaten statewide, there was a strong swing against the government in the Gippsland region, and Blackwood achieved a narrow victory in one of the upset results of the election.

Blackwood also received 56.67% of first preference votes, an increase of 14.64 points and the highest value of any elected member to the seat since its establishment in 1967.

Following the election of the Baillieu government in 2010 Blackwood was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Forestry and Fisheries due to his experience within the industry.

[2] In February 2022, Blackwood, along with Matthew Guy, Peter Walsh, David Davis and Melina Bath, were fined $100 each for breaching face mask rules, after the Coalition MPs were photographed maskless while attending an event in Parliament House.