Kay Granger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Appropriations Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – April 10, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Rosa DeLauro |
| Succeeded by | Tom Cole |
| Ranking Member of theHouse Appropriations Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Nita Lowey |
| Succeeded by | Rosa DeLauro |
| Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Leader | John Boehner |
| Preceded by | Jack Kingston |
| Succeeded by | Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's12th district | |
| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Pete Geren |
| Succeeded by | Craig Goldman |
| 41stMayor of Fort Worth | |
| In office May 21, 1991 – December 19, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Bolen |
| Succeeded by | Jewell Woods (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Norvell Kay Mullendore (1943-01-18)January 18, 1943 (age 82) Greenville, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Texas Wesleyan University (BA) |
Norvell Kay Granger (née Mullendore, January 18, 1943) is an American politician who served as theU.S. representative forTexas's 12th congressional district from 1997 to 2025. ARepublican, Granger chaired theHouse Committee on Appropriations from 2023 to 2024.
A former teacher and businesswoman, Granger served on the zoning commission ofFort Worth and on the Fort Worth City Council. She was elected as the first female mayor of Fort Worth in 1991 and served in that capacity until 1995. Granger was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996.[1] She is the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Republican woman to chair the House Committee on Appropriations.[2]
Granger did not seek reelection in2024. Following several months of absence from the Capitol, she was confirmed in December 2024 to have been residing in a senior living facility in Fort Worth since July 2024.
Granger was born on January 18, 1943[3] inGreenville, Texas. She graduated fromEastern Hills High School in 1961 and fromTexas Wesleyan University in 1965.[4]
Granger is a former teacher and businesswoman. She served on the zoning commission of Fort Worth from 1981 to 1989 and on the Fort Worth City Council from 1989 to 1991. Granger was elected as the first female mayor of Fort Worth in 1991 and served in that capacity until 1995.[5][4]
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Granger was first elected to Congress in 1996. She is a Republican.[6] After U.S. RepresentativePete Geren announced he would retire in 1996, both theDemocratic and Republican parties worked to recruit Granger to run for his seat.[7] Granger represented Texas's 12th congressional district from 1997 to 2025.[8]
In 2020, Granger received the endorsement of PresidentDonald Trump for her re-election campaign.[9]
Granger was electedConference Vice Chair, the fourth-ranking position among House Republicans, in 2006. She served as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations. She also sat on theUnited States House Committee on Appropriations'sSubcommittee on Defense (she is the first woman to do so) and theLabor, Health, Human Services, and Education Subcommittee. Granger also served as a House Deputy Whip.[10]
Granger was a member of the House Appropriations Committee for 25 years. She served as the ranking member of the Committee.[11] After the Republican Party gained a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 elections,[6] she was named chair of the Committee in January 2023.[12] Granger is the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee.[6] Granger stepped down from the Appropriations Committee chairship in April 2024.[13][14]
After being diagnosed withCOVID-19, Granger was not present atTrump's second impeachment on January 13, 2021. She was one of four Republicans who did not vote on the impeachment. Granger stated that she opposed Trump's impeachment, however.[15][16]
On October 30, 2023, Granger confirmed that she would not run for reeelection in2024.[17] On March 22, 2024, she announced that she would step down as chair of the House Appropriations Committee as soon as theRepublican Steering Committee chose her replacement,[13] which took place on April 10.[14] Granger's last recorded vote was on July 24, 2024;[18] she was then absent from the Capitol[19] until she returned to Washington in mid-November 2024 for a ceremony celebrating her work on the House Appropriations Committee.[20]
In December 2024, media reports confirmed that Granger had been residing in a senior living facility in Fort Worth since July 2024; her son said she had "dementia issues."[21] The incident sparked public backlash and renewed scrutiny of elderly politicians being allowed to serve in spite of advanced age and medical issues.[19][2][22]
RepublicanCraig Goldman waselected to represent Texas's 12th congressional district on November 5, 2024.
The Washington Post described Granger as sociallycentrist, butfiscally conservative.[23] In 2013, theNational Journal, a nonpartisan organization, gave Granger a composite political ideology score of 73% conservative and 27% liberal.[24] According toFiveThirtyEight, as of February 2020, she voted with President Trump's position on legislative issues about 97% of the time.[25] By October 2021, she voted with President Biden's position on legislative issues about 11% of the time.[26]
Granger formerly supportedabortion rights[27][28][29][30] andRoe v. Wade.[31][32] She reversed her position in 2020, asserting that she wasanti-abortion, signing an amicus brief that asked the Supreme Court to overturnRoe.[33][34]
Granger's abortion reversal was especially significant given the fact that her 1996 campaign had been promoted byThe WISH List, a pro-abortion rights PAC.[35][36][37] The WISH List had also supported her 2008 campaign.[38] Granger had received mixed ratings from groups that support legal abortion.[28] Prior to 2020, Granger had supportedembryonic stem-cell research and voted against banning "chemically induced abortions."[39][40][41][42] As of 2013, she supported banning abortion after 20 weeks,[43] but asserted that abortion was not her top issue.[44] In 2017, she declined to cosponsor a bill to ban abortion after six weeks.[45] Granger voted for several spending bills that included funding forPlanned Parenthood, including some introduced in 2018.[46] In 2018, she also introduced legislation banning federal funding for abortion with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman.[47] In 2019, Granger signed a letter toPresident Trump urging him to "veto any appropriations bill that weakens currentpro-life protections".[48]
Granger is known for her support for defense spending.[6][11]
Granger voted several times in favor of an amendment to theUnited States Constitution to make it a crime tophysically desecrate the American flag. She supported theFederal Marriage Amendment to define marriage as only permitted between a man and a woman, and also opposed letting same-sex couples adopt children.[49] Granger was one of four Republicans in the House not to vote for or against repealingDon't Ask Don't Tell, though she previously voted against other repeal proposals.[50][51] In 2017, she said she had "no comment" in response toTrump's decision to ban transgender troops from the military.[52] She did not vote for or against legislation opposing the ban of transgender troops.[51]
In June 2013, Granger was among the members of Congress to vote for an amendment to theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 to restrict the Pentagon from entering into new contracts with Russia's state arms broker,Rosoboronexport.[53]
During her tenure, Granger supported more than $50 million inearmarks to infrastructure projects in Fort Worth that benefited the Trinity River Vision Authority, an organization led by her son.[54]
Granger voted for a resolution supporting Israel following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[55][56]
On September 25, 2007, Granger endorsed formerMassachusetts governorMitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary.[57] She became national co-chair of the campaign organization Women for Mitt, filling a vacancy left by the death ofJennifer Dunn.[58]
In 2015, Granger opposedDonald Trump's 2016 presidential candidacy, saying, "He definitely should not be considered to speak for our nation as our president".[59] In 2020, however, she endorsed Trump and was endorsed by Trump.[9]
In 2006, Granger publishedWhat's Right About America, Celebrating Our Nation's Values, a book reflecting on lessons from prominent figures of U.S. history.[67]
Granger has three children and five grandchildren. She is a member of theUnited Methodist Church.[68]
In December 2024, Granger was confirmed to have been residing in a senior living facility in Fort Worth since July 2024, concurrent with the final 6 months of her term. Her son said she had "dementia issues".[21]
| 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% |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Fort Worth 1991–1995 | Succeeded by Jewell Woods Acting |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 12th congressional district 1997–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse 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 byas Former US Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative | Succeeded byas Former US Representative |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
