29 Facts About Blanche Lincoln

Blanche Lincoln previously served in the US House of Representatives, representing from 1993 to 1997.

Blanche Lincoln served as the Chair of Rural Outreach for the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Blanche Lincoln is the founder and a principal of Lincoln Policy Group, a consulting firm.

Blanche Lincoln's older sister, Mary Lambert, is a film director.

Blanche Lincoln received her early education at the local public schools in Helena, and was the student council president at Central High School from 1977 to 1978.

Blanche Lincoln attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.

Blanche Lincoln graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1982, earning a Bachelor's degree in biology.

In 1992, Blanche Lincoln defeated Bill Alexander in the Democratic primary, by a margin of 60 to 40 percent.

Blanche Lincoln called herself a centrist Democrat and was among the minority of Democrats to support CAFTA.

Blanche Lincoln voted in favor restricting class action lawsuits and tightening rules on personal bankruptcy.

Blanche Lincoln was one of the few Democrats in Congress to vote in favor of Bush administration's tax cuts and she supports the permanent elimination of the estate tax.

Blanche Lincoln co-sponsored and supported legislation to amend the constitution to require a balanced-budget amendment.

Blanche Lincoln was reelected to a second term under her married name, Blanche Lincoln, and served in the House of Representatives until 1997.

Blanche Lincoln chose not to run for reelection in 1996; she was pregnant at that time.

In 1998, Blanche Lincoln returned to politics and ran for the Senate seat being vacated by incumbent Senator Dale Bumpers.

Blanche Lincoln defeated her Republican opponent, Fay Boozman, a state senator and the brother of future US Representative John Boozman, 55 percent to 42 percent.

Blanche Lincoln concentrated primarily on issues involving farmers and rural issues.

Blanche Lincoln was one of the primary advocates of the Delta Regional Authority, which is designed to spur development in the lower Mississippi Delta region.

In 2007, Blanche Lincoln played a key role in brokering the compromise that led to passage of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.

Blanche Lincoln led the charge against defeating an amendment to the pending Farm Bill which would have capped government Agricultural subsidy payments at $250,000 per year, per farm.

Blanche Lincoln was in the 2007 documentary 14 Women, directed by her older sister, Mary Lambert.

In September 2009, Blanche Lincoln pledged to filibuster any legislation containing a Public health insurance option, such as the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

Blanche Lincoln voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate bill that eventually became the Barack Obama administration's health care reform law.

In November 2009, Blanche Lincoln voted against bringing Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the United States for trial.

On December 9,2010, Blanche Lincoln missed, by three minutes, a critical vote to repeal Don't ask, don't tell after a dental appointment.

Blanche Lincoln helped form the Moderate Dems Working Group, a coalition of moderate Senate Democrats whose stated goal is to work with Senate leadership and the administration toward finding bipartisan solutions to controversial political issues.

Blanche Lincoln served on the Senate Finance Committee; Special Committee on Aging; Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; Senate Social Security Task Force; Rural Health Caucus; Senate New Democrat Coalition and chair of the Rural Outreach for the Senate Democratic Caucus.

In 2011 Blanche Lincoln became chair of Small Business for Sensible Regulations, a project of the National Federation of Independent Business.

In July 2013, Blanche Lincoln founded her own political consulting firm called Blanche Lincoln Policy Group.