Mitchell Joseph Landrieu (born August 16, 1960) is the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana. A Roman Catholic, he is the son of former New Orleans mayor Moon Landrieu and the brother of the senior U.S. Senator from Louisiana, Mary Landrieu. In 2007 he won a second term as lieutenant governor in the October 20, 2007 jungle primary by defeating two Republicans: State Representative Gary J. Beard and Country singer Sammy Kershaw.

Early life

Landrieu was born the fifth of nine children born to Moon and Verna Landrieu. He grew up in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans. After graduating from Jesuit High School (New Orleans) in 1978, he enrolled at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where he majored in political science and theatre. In 1985 he earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Loyola University Law School in New Orleans.

Landrieu is married to Cheryl P. Landrieu, also an attorney. They have five children: Grace, Emily, Matthew, Benjamin, and William. They reside in New Orleans.

Landrieu has been a practicing attorney for fifteen years and is president of International Mediation & Arbitration, Ltd. He is a member of the Supreme Court Task Force on Alternative Dispute Resolution which was responsible for developing the pilot mediation program in Orleans Parish. Landrieu is trained in mediation and negotiation by the Harvard Law School Negotiation Project, the American Arbitration Association, and the Attorney Mediator's Institute. Landrieu has also taught alternative dispute resolution as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Law School.

Political career

Legislator

Landrieu was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1987, where he served for sixteen years in the seat previously held by his sister and his father.

Landrieu led the legislative effort to reform Louisiana's juvenile justice system with a focus on rehabilitation and reform as opposed to punishment and incarceration. He continues to chair the Juvenile Justice Commission, the entity created by the legislation to implement the reforms. In January, 2004, Governor Kathleen Blanco endorsed the Commission's recommendations.

Landrieu led the effort by a coalition of artists, venue owners, and other interested parties who were successful in repealing the Orleans Parish "amusement tax", a 2% tax on gross sales at any establishment that features live music. As an attorney, Landrieu brought a case to court that resulted in the tax being ruled unconstitutional. He continued the fight by bringing the issue to the New Orleans City Council, who voted to repeal the tax. As a legislator, Landrieu sponsored a bill to repeal the law that allowed the tax to exist.

Landrieu crafted legislation to fund the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium of New Orleans, a partnership between the Louisiana State University and Tulane University Health Sciences Centers. The cancer center will house state-of-the-art cancer research equipment and laboratories, significant because Louisiana has the nation's highest cancer mortality rate according to the American Cancer Society.

One of Landrieu’s most ambitious projects as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana has been the creation of the World Cultural Economic Forum (WCEF). The Forum, held annually at the New Orleans Convention Center, is directed towards promoting cultural economic development opportunities through the strategic convening of cultural ambassadors and leaders from around the world. The first WCEF is scheduled to take place in October 2008.

1993 New Orleans Mayoral candidacy

In 1993 Landrieu made an unsuccessful bid for the office of Mayor of New Orleans; the office went to Marc Morial, the son of another former mayor (the contest between sons of former mayors prompted some commentators to joke about establishing a tradition of primogeniture for the city's top office).

Lieutenant Governor

Mitch Landrieu's 2003 campaign for Lieutenant Governor was his first bid for statewide office in Louisiana. In a field of six candidates, Landrieu garnered 53 percent of the vote and won outright in the Louisiana open primary, thus avoiding a general election. His principal opponents were two Republicans, former U.S. Representative Clyde C. Holloway of Rapides Parish and former Lieutenant Governor Melinda Schwegmann of New Orleans.

2006 New Orleans election

In February 2006, Landrieu officially announced he would run for mayor of New Orleans in the 22 April election. Before Hurricane Katrina the incumbent Ray Nagin was widely expected to be reelected with little difficulty, but post-disaster problems and controversies had left many New Orleanians interested in new leadership.

In the election of 22 April, preliminary results showed Landrieu with the second most votes, with 29% of the vote to Nagin's 38%. Nagin and Landrieu faced each other in a run off election on 20 May. Had Landrieu won, he would have been the first Caucasian mayor of New Orleans since his father left office in 1978.

With unofficial results showing 53% of the vote for Nagin, Landrieu conceded defeat shortly before 10:30 pm on election night.

Spike Lee's Documentary

Landrieu was one of the participants to filmmaker Spike Lee's documentary When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts.

Election History

State Representative, 90th Representative District, 1987

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 24, 1987

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	4,525 (50%)	Elected
Lyn "Mrs. Woody" Koppel	Democratic	2,973 (33%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	1,484 (17%)	Defeated

State Representative, 89th Representative District, 1991

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 19, 1991

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	8,522 (63%)	Elected
Marilyn Thayer	Republican	4,939 (37%)	Defeated

Mayor of New Orleans, 1994

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, February 5, 1994

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Donald Mintz	Democratic	56,305 (37%)	Runoff
Marc Morial	Democratic	49,604 (32%)	Runoff
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	14,689 (10%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	32,104 (21%)	Defeated

Second Ballot, March 5, 1994

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Marc Morial	Democratic	93,094 (54%)	Elected
Donald Mintz	Democratic	77,730 (46%)	Defeated

State Representative, 89th Representative District, 1995

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 21, 1995

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	6,692 (57%)	Elected
Jeff Crouere, Jr.	Republican	3,049 (26%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	2,057 (17%)	Defeated

State Representative, 89th Representative District, 1999

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 23, 1999

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	6,575 (70%)	Elected
Randy Evans	Republican	2,765 (30%)	Defeated

Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, 2003

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 4, 2003

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	674,803 (53%)	Elected
Clyde Holloway	Republican	249,668 (19%)	Defeated
Melinda Schwegmann	Republican	215,402 (17%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	141,006 (11%)	Defeated

Mayor of New Orleans, 2006

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, April 22, 2006

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Ray Nagin	Democratic	41,561 (38%)	Runoff
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	31,551 (29%)	Runoff
Ron Forman	Democratic	18,764 (17%)	Defeated
Robert "Rob" Couhig	Republican	10,312 (10%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	6,160 (6%)	Defeated

Second Ballot, May 20, 2006

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Ray Nagin	Democratic	59,460 (52%)	Elected
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	54,131 (48%)	Defeated

Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, 2007

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 20, 2007

Candidate	Affiliation	Support	Outcome
Mitch Landrieu	Democratic	702,320 (57%)	Elected
Sammy Kershaw	Republican	376,336 (30%)	Defeated
Gary Beard	Republican	130,978 (11%)	Defeated
Others	n.a.	31,544 (2%)	Defeated

External links

• Louisiana Lt. Governor Website