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Kay Granger

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Kay Granger
Granger in 2012
Chair of the
U.S. House of Representatives
Appropriations Committee
In office
January 3, 2023 – April 10, 2024
Preceded byRosa DeLauro
Succeeded byTom Cole
Ranking Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
Appropriations Committee
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byNita Lowey
Succeeded byRosa DeLauro
Vice Chair of the
U.S. House of Representatives
Republican Conference (caucus)
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
LeaderJohn Boehner
Preceded byJack Kingston
Succeeded byCathy McMorris Rodgers
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 1997
Preceded byPete Geren
41st Mayor of Fort Worth, Texas
In office
May 21, 1991 – December 19, 1995
Preceded byBob Bolen
Succeeded byJewell Woods (acting)
Personal details
Born
Norvell Kay Mullendore

(1943-01-18) January 18, 1943 (age 81)
Greenville, Texas, U.S.A.
Political partyRepublican
Children3
EducationTexas Wesleyan University
(Fort Worth, Texas)
(Bachelor of Arts)
WebsiteHouse website
Granger's voice
Granger supporting the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019
Recorded July 25, 2019

Norvell Kay Granger (née Mullendore; born January 18, 1943) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. Representative (congresswoman) for Texas's 12th congressional district since 1997. She is a member of the Republican Party, and was chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee from 2023 to 2024. She did not seek re-election in the 2024 U.S. congressional elections, and stepped down in January 2025, at the end of the congressional session.

A former teacher and businesswoman, Granger is the first Republican woman to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. After earlier serving on the zoning commission of the city of Fort Worth, Texas, in 1991 she was elected as the 41st and the city's first female mayor; she served two terms, from 1991 to 1995.

Early life

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Granger was born on January 18, 1943,[1] in Greenville, Texas, (Hunt County) of Northeast Texas, and grew up in Fort Worth. She attended local public schools and graduated from Eastern Hills High School in 1961. She attended and graduated from Texas Wesleyan University, also in Fort Worth in 1965.[2]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Granger, George W. Bush, and Sam Johnson
Granger with President Donald Trump at Game 5 of the 2019 World Series

Elections

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After Congressman Pete Geren announced he would retire in 1996, both the Democratic and Republican parties worked to recruit Granger to run for his seat.[3] Republicans were bullish on their chances of winning Texas's 12th congressional district. It had once been represented by Democratic Speaker of the House Jim Wright, but legislative redistricting after the 1990 census had added areas with more Republican residents.[citation needed]

Granger ran as a Republican. She won handily, taking 56% of the vote against Democratic nominee Hugh Parmer, also a former Fort Worth mayor. She was reelected in 1998 and faced serious opposition only in 2000. In 2008, Granger defeated Democratic nominee Tracey Smith with 67% of the vote.

In 2006 Granger published What's Right About America, Celebrating Our Nation's Values, a book reflecting on lessons from prominent figures of U.S. history.[4] That year, she was reelected to her sixth term in Congress, and was elected Conference Vice Chair, the fourth-ranking position among House Republicans. She previously served as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations. She also sat on the United States House Committee on Appropriations's Subcommittee on Defense (the first woman to do so), and the Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education Subcommittee. She has also served as a House Deputy Whip.[5]

On September 25, 2007, Granger endorsed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary.[6] She also took the position of national co-chair of the campaign organization Women for Mitt, filling a vacancy left by the death of Jennifer Dunn.[7] In a statement to the press following her endorsement, she said that she had heard Romney speak and "I agreed with everything he said, in the order he said it."[citation needed]

She is a member of the International Republican Institute's[8] and Southwestern University's board of directors. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the board of trustees for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship foundation.[citation needed]

Tenure

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Granger is the first Republican woman to sit on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, and became chair after Republicans won the House majority in the 2022 elections.[9] She is the third consecutive woman to chair the committee, and the first Republican woman to do so.

Granger is a member of the Ripon Society, a moderate Republican group.[10][11] The Washington Post described her as socially centrist, but fiscally conservative.[12] Heritage Action, a conservative PAC, gave her a score of 59% conservative during the 115th Congress and a 57% lifetime score.[13] In 2017, the Americans for Democratic Action, a liberal PAC, gave her a 15% rating.[14] She has an 83% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union.[15] In 2013, the National Journal, a nonpartisan organization, gave Granger a composite political ideology score of 73% conservative and 27% liberal.[14] According to FiveThirtyEight, as of February 2020, she had voted with President Trump's position on legislative issues about 97% of the time.[16] As of October 2021, she had voted with President Biden's position on legislative issues about 11% of the time.[17]

Granger was not present at Trump's second impeachment, on January 13, 2021, due to being diagnosed with COVID-19, and was one of four Republicans who did not vote, but said she opposed impeachment.[18][19]

Reversal of position on abortion

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Granger formerly supported abortion rights[20][21][22][23] and Roe v. Wade.[24][25] She reversed her position in 2020, asserting that she is now anti-abortion and signing an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe.[26][27]

Granger's abortion reversal was especially significant given the fact that her 1996 campaign had been promoted by The WISH List, a pro-abortion rights PAC.[28][29][30] The WISH List also supported her 2008 campaign.[31] Granger has received mixed ratings from groups that support legal abortion.[21] Prior to 2020, Granger had supported embryonic stem-cell research and voted against banning "chemically induced abortions."[32][33][34][35] As of 2013, she supported banning abortion after 20 weeks,[36] but asserted that abortion was not her top issue.[37] In 2017, she declined to cosponsor a bill to ban abortion after six weeks.[38] Granger has voted for several spending bills that have included funding for Planned Parenthood, including some introduced in 2018.[39] In 2018, she had introduced legislation banning federal funding for abortion with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman.[40] In 2019, she signed a letter to President Trump urging him to "veto any appropriations bill that weakens current pro-life protections".[41] Also in 2019, Granger was endorsed by Texas Alliance for Life, an anti-abortion movement PAC,[42][better source needed] and by Susan B. Anthony List.[43][better source needed]

Other issues

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Granger has voted several times in favor of an amendment to the United States Constitution to make it a crime to physically desecrate the American flag. She supported the Federal Marriage Amendment to define marriage as only permitted between a man and a woman, and also opposed letting same-sex couples adopt children.[44] Granger was one of four Republicans in the House not to vote for or against repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell, though she previously voted against other repeal proposals.[45][46] In 2017, she said she had "no comment" in response to Trump's decision to ban transgender troops from the military.[47] She did not vote for or against legislation opposing the ban of transgender troops.[46]

In June 2013, Granger was among the members of Congress to vote for an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 to restrict the Pentagon from entering into new contracts with Russia's state arms broker, Rosoboronexport.[48] In 2015, she opposed Trump's candidacy, saying, “He definitely should not be considered to speak for our nation as our president.”[49] In 2020, she endorsed Trump and was endorsed by Trump.[50]

Kay Granger speaking at the 2015 Lincoln Day Dinner.

Granger was part of a group of eight Republicans who spent July 4, 2018, meeting with Russian officials in advance of Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin.

During her tenure, Granger has supported more than $50 million in earmarks to infrastructure projects in Fort Worth that benefited the Trinity River Vision Authority, an organization her son heads.[51]

Kay Granger campaign sign in the Fort Worth Stockyards

Granger voted for a resolution supporting Israel following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[52][53]

She did not seek reelection on November 5, 2024; Republican Craig Goldman won to retain the seat for the Republican party.

Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

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Retirement

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On October 30, 2023, Granger confirmed that she would not run for re-election in 2024.[60] On March 22, 2024, she announced that she would be stepping down as chair of the House Appropriations Committee as soon as the Republican Steering Committee chose her replacement,[61] which took place on April 10.[62] Granger's last recorded vote was on July 24, 2024.[63] In mid-November 2024, she returned to Washington for a ceremony celebrating her work on the House Appropriations Committee.[64]

In December 2024, she was confirmed to have been residing in a senior living facility since July 2024, and her son said she had "dementia issues."[65][66] The incident sparked public backlash and renewed scrutiny of elderly politicians being allowed to serve in spite of advanced age and medical issues.[67][68][69]

Personal life

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Granger has three children and five grandchildren.[70] She is a member of the United Methodist Church.[70]

Honors

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  • In August 2007, Kay Granger Elementary School, named in her honor, opened in far north Fort Worth in the Northwest Independent School District.
  • Kay Granger Park was named for her. It is a city park next to Mullendore Elementary, named for her mother, which opened several years earlier in North Richland Hills.
  • In 1993, her high school recognized Granger as a distinguished alumna.[71]

Electoral history

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Texas's 12th congressional district: Results 1996–2022[72][73]
Year Democratic Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct Other Party Votes Pct
1996 Hugh Parmer 69,859 41.04% Kay Granger 98,349 57.78% Heather Proffer Natural Law 1,996 1.17%
1998 Tom Hall 39,084 36.28% Kay Granger 66,740 61.94% Paul Barthel Libertarian 1,917 1.78%
2000 Mark Greene 67,612 35.98% Kay Granger 117,739 62.66% Ricky L. Clay Independent 2,565 1.36%
2002 Kay Granger 121,208 91.87% Edward A. Hanson Libertarian 10,723 8.13%
2004 Felix Alvarado 66,316 27.68% Kay Granger 173,222 72.32%
2006 John R. Morris 45,676 31.09% Kay Granger 98,371 66.95% Gardner Osborne Libertarian 2,888 1.97%
2008 Tracey Smith 82,250 30.60% Kay Granger 181,662 67.59% Shiloh Sidney Shambaugh Libertarian 4,842 1.80%
2010 Tracey Smith 38,434 25.13% Kay Granger 109,882 71.86% Matthew Solodow Libertarian 4,601 3.01%
2012 Dave Robinson 66,080 26.68% Kay Granger 175,649 70.91% Matthew Solodow Libertarian 5,983 2.42%
2014 Mark Greene 41,757 26.31% Kay Granger 113,186 71.31% Ed Colliver Libertarian 3,787 2.39%
2016 Bill Bradshaw 76,029 26.85% Kay Granger 196,482 69.40% Ed Colliver Libertarian 10,604 3.75%
2018 Vanessa Adia 90,994 33.89% Kay Granger 172,557 64.27% Jacob Leddy Libertarian 4,940 1.84%
2020 Lisa Welch 121,250 33.04% Kay Granger 233,853 63.72% Trey Holcomb Libertarian 11,918 3.25%
2022 Trey Hunt 85,026 35.73% Kay Granger 152,953 64.27%

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, roll number: 1943_0008
  2. ^ "Bioguide Search".
  3. ^ Cottle, Michelle (January 24, 2014). "When Wendy Davis Was a Republican". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "Rep. Granger's new book praises American values". The Hill. July 13, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Staff, Fort Worth Inc (November 20, 2024). "Kay Granger Honored with Portrait Unveiling, Celebrating Historic Career in Congress". Fort Worth Inc. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "Mitt Romney's Free and Strong America PAC". Mittromney.com. November 9, 2009. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  7. ^ Granger endorses Romney and will co-chair Women for Mitt | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas-Fort Worth Politics | The Dallas Morning News Archived October 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ International Republican Institute web site, accessed July 16, 2010. Archived April 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "About". Congresswoman Kay Granger. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Advisory Board". The Ripon Society. July 10, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "History". The Ripon Society. July 10, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "Kay Granger (R-Tex.)". The Washington Post.
  13. ^ America, Heritage Action For (April 20, 2019). "Heritage Action for America". Heritage Action For America. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  15. ^ "ACU Ratings". ACU Ratings. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  16. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron (January 30, 2017). "Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  17. ^ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  18. ^ Cai, Weiyi; Daniel, Annie; Gamio, Lazaro; Parlapiano, Alicia (January 13, 2021). "Impeachment Results: How Democrats and Republicans Voted". The New York Times.
  19. ^ "For the record, Fort Worth Rep. Kay Granger also opposed impeachment of Trump". January 14, 2021.
  20. ^ Ethridge, Emily (2015). Powerful Women: The 25 Most Influential Women in Congress (PDF). eBook: CQ Roll Call. p. 17.
  21. ^ a b "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  22. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. September 25, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  23. ^ "Kay Granger - Candidate for U.S. President, Republican Nomination - Election 2012". WSJ.com. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  24. ^ "Election 2008: Who People in Texas Should Vote For". Esquire. October 16, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  25. ^ Ford, Lynne E. (2008). Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics. New York City: Facts on File Inc. p. 216. ISBN 9780816054916.
  26. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (January 2, 2020). "More Than 200 Republicans Urge Supreme Court to Weigh Overturning Roe v. Wade". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  27. ^ Tinsley, Anna (February 10, 2020). "Kay Granger has Trump's support. Here's why it might not be enough to win her primary". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  28. ^ "Republican Women Congressional Candidates | C-SPAN.org". C-SPAN. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  29. ^ "AllPolitics - Congressional Races - Texas District 12". CNN. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  30. ^ "AllPolitics/CQ - Freshmen of the 105th Congress". CNN. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  31. ^ "Wish List: All Recipients | OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  32. ^ Perks, Ashley (September 16, 2008). "The struggling, single mother of three who worked her way up in the House". The Hill. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  33. ^ Malhi, Sabrina (September 11, 2018). "The stakes are sky-high for the pro-life cause in the upcoming midterms". The Hill. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  34. ^ Levine, Samantha (May 25, 2005). "House votes to expand stem cell research". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  35. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  36. ^ "Republican Women Cringe As Men Lead Abortion Fight". BuzzFeed News. July 9, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  37. ^ "Republican Women Cringe As Men Lead Abortion Fight". BuzzFeed News. July 9, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  38. ^ "House panel considers banning abortions at six weeks". Dallas News. November 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  39. ^ "Chris Putnam Primary Bid Receives Big Endorsement, Attack Ads Purchased Targeting Rep. Kay Granger". The Texan. January 23, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  40. ^ Granger, Kay (September 28, 2018). "H.R.6157 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019". www.congress.gov. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  41. ^ "Letter to the Hon. Donald J. Trump, President of the United States - Lawmakers Urge the President to Veto Any Appropriations Bill that Weakens Current Pro-Life Protections". Votesmart.org. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  42. ^ "Texas Alliance for Life Releases First Round of Endorsements for Federal Offices". Kay Granger for Congress. December 19, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  43. ^ "SBA List Candidate Fund Endorses Kay Granger for Congress in TX-12". Susan B. Anthony List. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  44. ^ "Kay Granger on the Issues". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  45. ^ "H.R. 2965 (111th): Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of ... -- House Vote #638 -- Dec 15, 2010". GovTrack.us. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  46. ^ a b "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  47. ^ Livingston, Abby; Samuels, Alex; Essig, Chris (July 27, 2017). "Where do Texans in Congress stand on Trump's ban on transgender troops?". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  48. ^ Bowser-Soder, Brenda (June 14, 2013). "House Agrees to Amendment to Restrict U.S. Contracts with Syrian Regime Weapons Supplier". Human Rights First. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  49. ^ "Texas Congresswoman to Trump: Have You No Decency?". Roll Call. July 21, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  50. ^ "Trump endorses Kay Granger, says she's 'strong supporter' of his agenda". Dallas News. December 17, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  51. ^ "Public projects, private interests". The Washington Post. February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  52. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  53. ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (October 25, 2023). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  54. ^ "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  55. ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  56. ^ "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  57. ^ "Members". House Baltic Caucus. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  58. ^ "Members". Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  59. ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  60. ^ "Kay Granger confirms she won't run again for Congress". November 2023.
  61. ^ Choi, Matthew (March 22, 2024). "U.S. Rep. Kay Granger to step down from powerful House appropriations leadership position". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  62. ^ Shutt, Jennifer (April 10, 2024). "U.S. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma tapped by GOP as House Appropriations chairman". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  63. ^ Kay Granger: Votes and Legislation
  64. ^ "Members Celebrate 'Texas Tough' Kay Granger". House Committee on Appropriations. November 18, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  65. ^ James, Julia; Morton, Joseph (December 22, 2024). "Retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger experiencing 'dementia issues,' per family". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  66. ^ Edmonson, Catie (December 23, 2024). "House Member in Senior Living Facility Draws Fresh Scrutiny to Aging Congress". The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  67. ^ Edmondson, Catie (December 23, 2024). "House Member in Senior Living Facility Draws Fresh Scrutiny to Aging Congress". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  68. ^ "Report of 'Missing' GOP Congresswoman in Senior Facility Sparks Backlash". Newsweek. December 22, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  69. ^ Kornfield, Meryl (December 24, 2024). "Rep. Granger's Hill absence, revelation of 'dementia issues' reignite age debate". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  70. ^ a b "About". Congresswoman Kay Granger. December 3, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  71. ^ Kay Granger, USA Centers for Global Commercial & Investment Relations. Retrieved October 25, 2007. Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  72. ^ "HISTORICAL ELECTIONS - OFFICIAL RESULTS". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  73. ^ "Texas Election Results - Official Results". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kay Granger.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Fort Worth
1991–1995 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 12th congressional district
1997–present 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the House Appropriations Committee
2023–2024 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference
2007–2009 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
25th 		Succeeded by
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