Records indicate that Sen. Mary Landrieu (D., La.) does not even have a home in Louisiana anymore and is using the primary residence of her parents in New Orleans to qualify for the Louisiana senate election, according to a Washington Post investigation.
Landrieu lives primarily in a $2.5 million Capitol Hill home built by her and her husband in Washington, D.C.
She used her D.C. address on her initial statement of candidacy filings, but used the address for the house her parents currently reside in for later filings.
The Washington Post reports:
On a statement of candidacy Landrieu filed with the Federal Election Commission in January, she listed her Capitol Hill home as her address. But when qualifying for the ballot in Louisiana last week, she listed the family’s raised-basement home here on South Prieur Street.
The New Orleans house, which Landrieu claims as her primary residence, is a new flash point in one of the most closely contested Senate races in the country. Republicans are considering taking legal action to question Landrieu’s residency in the state, arguing that since winning her seat in 1996 she has become a creature of Washington.
Louisiana's Election Code mandates that its U.S. senator be "an inhabitant of Louisiana when elected" and Republicans have called on the Louisiana secretary of state to investigate her residency, according to the Post.
Landrieu has made clear that her life now is in Washington, D.C., stating in 2012 that she "really can appreciate the life that we live on the Hill," and adding, "Of course, I still have a residence in Louisiana, but we’ve raised our kids here."
Neighbors of the New Orleans house where Landrieu grew up say that it is clear that Landrieu no longer lives there.
"I don’t think she lives there," said Fontaine Wells, 65, pointing at the Landrieu home. "She might come visit, but come on now—she lives in D.C. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her." [...]
Michael Fitzgerald, 61, has lived around the corner from the Landrieus for three decades. He said he sees Moon and Verna Landrieu regularly, as well as Mitch Landrieu, Mary’s younger brother and the city’s current mayor, who lives in a home he owns nearby.
"They’ve been very good neighbors," Fitzgerald said. "On Election Day, [Mary] is seen at our polling place accompanying her parents." He added, "I have not seen her lately. ... She’s been in the Senate for — I’ve lost count — 16 years? 18 years?"