Lynda "Lindy" Blanchard (born July 4, 1959) is an American businesswoman, diplomat, and political candidate who served as the

United States Ambassador to Slovenia The diplomatic post of United States Ambassador to Slovenia was created after the disbanding of Yugoslavia and the United States recognizing the new nation of Slovenia on April 7, 1992. In August of that year, the American Embassy in Ljubljana ope ...

from 2019 until 2021, serving under former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

and his administration. She was a candidate in the 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election, losing to incumbent governor

Kay Ivey Kay Ellen Ivey (born October 15, 1944) is an American politician serving as the 54th and incumbent governor of Alabama since 2017. Originally a conservative Southern Democrat, Ivey became a member of the Republican Party in 2002. She was the 38t ...

in the Republican primary, having switched to that race from the Senate election.

Early life and education

Blanchard is a native of Montgomery,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics, with a minor in computer science, from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

in 1991.

Career

In 2004, Blanchard founded the 100X Development Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Montgomery, Alabama. Blanchard is also the founder and former senior advisor of B&M Management Company, a real estate investment firm. Blanchard was nominated as

by President

in June 2018. On July 18, 2019, she was confirmed for the ambassadorship by the U.S. Senate with a 55–41 vote. Blanchard resigned from the post following the inauguration of President Joe Biden and was succeeded by Susan K. Falatko as Charge d'Affaires.

2022 Alabama elections

In February 2021, Blanchard announced her candidacy for the 2022 Senate election in Alabama to replace the retiring Senator

Richard Shelby Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Alabama. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 as a Democrat who later switched to the Republican Party in 1994, h ...

, the first candidate to publicly launch a campaign. Blanchard's most significant opposition was Representative

Mo Brooks Morris Jackson "Mo" Brooks Jr. (born April 29, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. His district was based in Huntsville and stretches across the northern fifth of the stat ...

, who was, at that point, endorsed by former President

. In November 2021, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' reported that Trump was considering endorsing Blanchard if she withdrew her Senate campaign and ran for governor instead. However, such an endorsement never occurred. Blanchard officially switched races on December 7, 2021, announcing during a campaign stop in

Wetumpka Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century Elmore County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The city is ...

that she would be running in the 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election instead of the Senate race. Her gubernatorial campaign launched a television advertising campaign on January 3, 2022, which cost approximately $1.175 million, in order to raise her profile among voters in Alabama. In the May 24 primary, Blanchard finished in second place in the gubernatorial race, with 19% of the vote. However, the election did not go to a run-off, as incumbent Governor

surpassed the threshold to avoid a run-off. Blanchard conceded defeat to Ivey but also indicated that she was interested in pursuing other political efforts in the future.

Personal life

She is married to John Blanchard, a businessman in real estate. Together, they donated over $2.6 million to Republicans from 2015 to April 2019.

Electoral history

References

External links

1959 births 21st-century American diplomats 21st-century American women Alabama Republicans Ambassadors of the United States to Slovenia American women ambassadors Businesspeople from Alabama Living people People from Montgomery, Alabama American women diplomats {{Alabama-stub