Mary Loretta Landrieu (born November 23, 1955) is the senior Democratic United States Senator for the state of Louisiana. She is the daughter of former New Orleans mayor Maurice Edwin "Moon" Landrieu and the sister of current Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu. Landrieu is one of the more conservative Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

Mary Landrieu was born in Arlington, Virginia, and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1977. She was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, from 1980 to 1988. She then served as Louisiana state treasurer from 1988 to 1996. Landrieu was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1995 gubernatorial race in Louisiana—she finished third in the state's qualifying primary (sometimes referred to as the "jungle" primary)—thus failing to make the run-off which effectively becomes the general election in Louisiana. The eventual winner was Democrat-turned-Republican Mike Foster.

Senate career

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Landrieu was elected to the U.S. Senate in the presidential election year of 1996, defeating Woody Jenkins by 5,788 votes out of 1.7 million cast, the narrowest national result of the 33 races for the U.S. Senate and one of the closest election margins in Louisiana history. At the same time, Democrat Bill Clinton carried Louisiana by a considerable margin -- 927,837 votes to 712,586 cast for Republican Bob Dole. Jenkins refused to accept defeat and charged massive election fraud orchestrated by the Democratic political organization of New Orleans, which provided Landrieu's narrow margin of victory. He took his case to the Republican-dominated U.S. Senate, petitioning it to nullify the results of the Senate election and order new balloting. In a hearing, carried live by CSPAN, the Senate Rules Committee in a party-line 8 to 7 vote agreed to investigate the charges, thus putting Senator-elect Landrieu's status in the U.S. Senate under a cloud. The investigation dragged on for over ten months, angering the Democrats and exacerbating partisan friction in the day-to-day sessions of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee to which Landrieu was assigned as a freshman member of the 105th Congress. Finally, in October 1997, the Rules Committee issued a report noting numerous instances of major electoral irregularities, but concluding that a new election at that late stage would place too onerous a burden on the state of Louisiana and recommended letting the election result stand.

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Question: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, As Amended. Bill: H RES 1008 Vote description: Condemning the Persecution of Baha is in Iran Result: Passed, 408-3, with 23 not voting.
Congress 110, House vote: Vote 563: H R 6599
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Question: On Passage. Bill: H R 6599 Vote description: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriation, Fy 2009 Result: Passed, 409-4, with 21 not voting.
Congress 110, House vote: Vote 562: H R 6599
Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
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Congress 110, House vote: Vote 561: H R 6599
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