Sources confirm Donald Trump appointee, Ambassador Lynda Blanchard plan to announce run for governor of Alabama

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After months of speculation on a reported switch in campaigns for Lynda Blanchard, it looks like the rumors are true. According to insiders, Blanchard is planning to end her campaign for the U.S. Senate seat and run for governor of Alabama, according to a CNN report.

She is expected to announce her campaign against Governor Kay Ivey next week.

The former ambassador to Slovenia, Blanchard was a major donor to the Trump campaign but never received his endorsement for her run in the Senate. That endorsement went to Mo Brooks, a long-time Trump supporter. CNN reported that Trump met with Blanchard, and she was receptive to the prospect of her running for governor.

In an August interview on FM Talk 106.5’s Jeff Poor Show, Blanchard commented, “You know, I can tell you that I’ve been all over this state, and there are a lot of people that, you know, like we saw this weekend, want everything Trump. And they want a Trump governor, as well.”

According to a Rolling Stone report, Trump blames Gov. Ivey for canceling one of his rallies in Alabama this summer.

The rally in question was a July 3 “Freedom Rally” at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile. Defenders of Ivey note that the rally was canceled by the Battleship Commission, not the governor herself though the commission is stacked with appointees she chose.

Without Trump’s endorsement, Blanchard’s Senate campaign has lagged behind Mo Brooks and Katie Boyd Britt