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Jennifer Granholm

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Jennifer Granholm

Image of Jennifer Granholm

Prior offices

Attorney General of Michigan


Governor of Michigan


U.S. Secretary of Energy


Education

Personal

Jennifer Mulhern Granholm was the U.S. secretary of energy in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025. The Senate confirmed Granholm on February 25, 2021, by a vote of 64-35. Click here to learn more about her confirmation process.

She was a former Democratic governor of Michigan. Granholm, who served from 2003 to 2011, was the state's first female governor.

Granholm previously served as the attorney general of Michigan from 1999 to 2003. In 2004, Granholm was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Granholm's academic, professional, and political career:[1][2][3]

  • 2021-2025: U.S. secretary of energy
  • 2016: Co-chair of the Clinton presidential campaign
  • 2014-2019: Worked on the American Jobs Project
  • 2003-2011: Governor of Michigan
  • 1998-2002: Attorney general of Michigan
  • 1994: Appointed to serve as counsel for Wayne County
  • 1990: Began working as a federal prosecutor in Detroit
  • 1987-1988: Clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • 1987: Graduated from Harvard Law School
  • 1984: Graduated from the University of California, Berkeley

Nomination for secretary of energy

See also: Joe Biden presidential transition and Confirmation process for Jennifer Granholm for secretary of energy
Joe Biden's Cabinet
Candidate: Jennifer Granholm
Position: Secretary of Energy
ApprovedAnnounced:December 17, 2020
ApprovedHearing:January 27, 2021
ApprovedCommittee:Energy and Natural Resources
ApprovedReported:Favorable (13-4)
ApprovedConfirmed:February 25, 2021
ApprovedVote:64-35

On December 17, 2020, President Joe Biden (D) announced that he had selected Granholm as his nominee for secretary of Energy.[4]

Granholm said during her confirmation hearing, "I will focus on three missions: first, the security of America through the National Nuclear Security Administration and clean-up of our Cold War legacy, ensuring that we can protect our nation. Second, supporting the amazing scientific work being done at the DOE’s 17 National Labs and other facilities across the country, including on climate change and emissions reductions. And third, taking that research to scale, deploying it to create jobs for Americans."[5]

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held Granholm's confirmation hearing on January 27, 2021. The Senate confirmed Granholm on February 25, 2021, by a vote of 64-35.[6]

Summary of Senate vote on Tom Vilsack's nomination for secretary of agriculture (February 23, 2021)
Party Votes for Votes against Not voting
Democratic Party Democrats 48 0 0
Republican Party Republicans 14 35 1
Grey.png Independents 2 0 0
Totals 64 35 1


Click on the following table to view the full roll call.

Senate vote on Jennifer Granholm's nomination for secretary of energy (February 25, 2021)
State Senator Party Vote
Alabama Richard Shelby Republican Party Republican No
Alabama Tommy Tuberville Republican Party Republican No
Alaska Lisa Murkowski Republican Party Republican Yes
Alaska Dan Sullivan Republican Party Republican Not voting
Arizona Kyrsten Sinema Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Arizona Mark Kelly Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Arkansas John Boozman Republican Party Republican No
Arkansas Tom Cotton Republican Party Republican No
California Dianne Feinstein Democratic Party Democrat Yes
California Alex Padilla Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Colorado Michael F. Bennet Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Colorado John Hickenlooper Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Connecticut Richard Blumenthal Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Connecticut Chris Murphy Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Delaware Tom Carper Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Delaware Chris Coons Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Florida Rick Scott Republican Party Republican No
Florida Marco Rubio Republican Party Republican No
Georgia Jon Ossoff Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Georgia Raphael Warnock Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Hawaii Mazie Hirono Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Hawaii Brian Schatz Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Idaho Mike Crapo Republican Party Republican Yes
Idaho James E. Risch Republican Party Republican Yes
Illinois Dick Durbin Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Illinois Tammy Duckworth Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Indiana Mike Braun Republican Party Republican No
Indiana Todd Young Republican Party Republican Yes
Iowa Chuck Grassley Republican Party Republican No
Iowa Joni Ernst Republican Party Republican No
Kansas Roger Marshall Republican Party Republican No
Kansas Jerry Moran Republican Party Republican No
Kentucky Mitch McConnell Republican Party Republican Yes
Kentucky Rand Paul Republican Party Republican No
Louisiana Bill Cassidy Republican Party Republican No
Louisiana John Kennedy Republican Party Republican No
Maine Susan Collins Republican Party Republican Yes
Maine Angus King Grey.png Independent Yes
Maryland Benjamin L. Cardin Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Maryland Chris Van Hollen Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Massachusetts Ed Markey Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Michigan Debbie Stabenow Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Michigan Gary Peters Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Minnesota Amy Klobuchar Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Minnesota Tina Smith Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Mississippi Roger Wicker Republican Party Republican No
Mississippi Cindy Hyde-Smith Republican Party Republican No
Missouri Josh Hawley Republican Party Republican No
Missouri Roy Blunt Republican Party Republican No
Montana Steve Daines Republican Party Republican Yes
Montana Jon Tester Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Nebraska Deb Fischer Republican Party Republican No
Nebraska Ben Sasse Republican Party Republican No
Nevada Jacky Rosen Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Nevada Catherine Cortez Masto Democratic Party Democrat Yes
New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen Democratic Party Democrat Yes
New Hampshire Maggie Hassan Democratic Party Democrat Yes
New Jersey Robert Menendez Democratic Party Democrat Yes
New Jersey Cory Booker Democratic Party Democrat Yes
New Mexico Ben Ray Luján Democratic Party Democrat Yes
New Mexico Martin Heinrich Democratic Party Democrat Yes
New York Charles E. Schumer Democratic Party Democrat Yes
New York Kirsten Gillibrand Democratic Party Democrat Yes
North Carolina Richard Burr Republican Party Republican Yes
North Carolina Thom Tillis Republican Party Republican No
North Dakota John Hoeven Republican Party Republican Yes
North Dakota Kevin Cramer Republican Party Republican Yes
Ohio Rob Portman Republican Party Republican Yes
Ohio Sherrod Brown Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Oklahoma James M. Inhofe Republican Party Republican Noo
Oklahoma James Lankford Republican Party Republican No
Oregon Ron Wyden Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Oregon Jeff Merkley Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Pennsylvania Pat Toomey Republican Party Republican No
Pennsylvania Robert P. Casey Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Rhode Island Jack Reed Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Rhode Island Sheldon Whitehouse Democratic Party Democrat Yes
South Carolina Lindsey Graham Republican Party Republican No
South Carolina Tim Scott Republican Party Republican No
South Dakota John Thune Republican Party Republican No
South Dakota Mike Rounds Republican Party Republican Yes
Tennessee Bill Hagerty Republican Party Republican No
Tennessee Marsha Blackburn Republican Party Republican No
Texas John Cornyn Republican Party Republican No
Texas Ted Cruz Republican Party Republican No
Utah Mitt Romney Republican Party Republican Yes
Utah Mike Lee Republican Party Republican No
Vermont Patrick Leahy Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Vermont Bernie Sanders Grey.png Independent Yes
Virginia Mark R. Warner Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Virginia Tim Kaine Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Washington Maria Cantwell Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Washington Patty Murray Democratic Party Democrat Yes
West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito Republican Party Republican No
West Virginia Joe Manchin Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Wisconsin Ron Johnson Republican Party Republican Yes
Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin Democratic Party Democrat Yes
Wyoming John Barrasso Republican Party Republican No
Wyoming Cynthia Lummis Republican Party Republican No

Ballot measure activity

The following table details Granholm's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:

Ballot measure support and opposition for Jennifer Granholm
Ballot measure Year Position Status
Maine Question 1, Electric Transmission Line Restrictions and Legislative Approval Initiative (2021) 2021 Opposed[7] Defeated Defeated

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

In 1986, Granholm married Daniel Mulhern, a Michigan native. They have three children: Kathryn, Cecelia, and Jack.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Jennifer Granholm. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

Footnotes

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