 She was the PD's vice president for Ialomiţa (1992), becoming the branch's secretary in 2001, and its president in 2003.She was first elected to the Senate during the 2000 suffrage, being reelected in the 2004 suffrage.Petre was a secretary of the Senate Committee for Public Administration and Territorial Improvement, and member of the Committee for Equal Opportunities for Men and Women.