Lynda Blanchard, President Donald Trump's ambassador to Slovenia, on Thursday became the first person to announce her candidacy to fill the seat of longtime Alabama GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, who announced earlier this year he won't seek reelection in 2022.
Blanchard, an Alabama businesswoman, made the announcement in a three-minute YouTube video highlighting her background and her state, while throwing a few arrows at members of "The Swamp," Democrats that include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; and members of the "The Squad," far left progressives who have made waves in the House, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
"I'm a Christian conservative and business builder, a mother of eight wonderful children," Blanchard says in the video. "I'm a proud member of the MAGA movement. Like you, I'm grateful for the leadership and courage of our 45th president, Donald Trump," she adds, climbing into a pickup truck with a Trump-Pence bumper sticker.
Blanchard said she "never thought about serving in public office" until she was asked to serve as ambassador to Slovenia, former first lady Melandia Trump's home country, by Trump.
"That lit a fire in me to continue the cause as a public champion for the values we hold near and dear: free speech, the right to bear arms, religious freedom, the sanctity of life for all of God’s children, born and unborn, lower taxes, a secure border, the belief that America is the greatest nation that the world has ever known," she said.
Shelby began his term as a Democrat in 1987 before becoming a Republican in 1994, and the seat is expected to draw several candidates. Among them, The Hill noted, Rep. Mo Brooks, Shelby’s former chief of staff Katie Britt, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and Rep. Bradley Byrne.
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