Landrieu disses Cantwell– just when she sent out a fundraising email

Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu is gearing up to face the final outcome of her desperate attempt retain her Louisiana seat in a run-off election this Saturday. And, though her efforts are all but lost, Landrieu may have just made the most compelling argument for her re-election since the start of the mid-term elections.

During a campaign stop in which she lauded her accomplishments and affirmed her commitment to the Keystone XL pipeline, Landrieu told voters that they must re-elect her in order to ensure she remains the ranking Democrat member of the Senate Energy Committee. Landrieu said,

“If I don’t get back there as a senior member of the committee… we’re gonna have a woman who I like very much, [but] I’m not sure Louisiana’s going to think very much of a senator from Washington state who’s all for windmills and alternative energy, and doesn’t support the oil and gas industry! That’s who’s gonna take my place as head of this committee.”

Of course, Landrieu was referring to Washington state’s very own Sen. Maria Cantwell, who is next in line as ranking member of the committee. Here’s the kicker: minutes after (9:39 Pacific time) Landrieu threw Cantwell under the bus, Cantwell’s donor list received an email asking for support on behalf of… Landrieu.

Cantwell’s email reads,

“In just three days, Mary will be facing off against her GOP opponent in a tight runoff election. He may have the Koch brothers and shadowy right-wing groups on his side, but Mary’s got us.

Mary Landrieu has been a critical ally over the years, and she’s an ally I’m counting on in the years to come…

We need to pull out all the stops to help Mary Landrieu fight back…”

Apparently, the feeling for Landrieu is not mutual. In fact, little did Cantwell know, Landrieu is pulling out all the stops—it just involves disparaging her “critical ally over the years” to do it. Landrieu’s got Cantwell… to use as a fear-mongering tool.

Landrieu had the opportunity to back down from her comments when Bloomberg Politics asked about what she meant, particular if “Democrats were in danger of veering away from her favored energy policy.” Rather than modify her statement, Landreiu only re-iterated her attack on Cantwell. She said,

“That issue means very little to me right now… I mention that to try to focus people’s attention on how even though the national election put Republicans in charge, there is still significant value in having the ranking member of the Energy Committee from Louisiana, as opposed to Washington state.”

You can read Cantwell’s email here.