Lynda Blanchard

Lynda Blanchard (born July 4, 1959) is an American businesswoman and diplomat who has served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture since 2025 under President Donald Trump. She previously served in the First Trump administration as United States Ambassador to Slovenia from 2019 until 2021.

In February 2021, Blanchard announced her candidacy for the 2022 United States Senate election in Alabama to replace the retiring senator Richard Shelby. Blanchard's most significant opponent was Representative Mo Brooks, who had been endorsed by Trump. In November 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was considering endorsing Blanchard if she withdrew her Senate campaign and ran for governor instead. Blanchard officially switched races on December 7, 2021, announcing that she would instead run in the 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election instead of the Senate race. In the May 24 primary, Blanchard finished in second place in the gubernatorial race, with 19% of the vote, losing to incumbent governor Kay Ivey.