Biden reportedly taps former Michigan governor for Energy secretary

    By
    Susan J. Demas
    -
    Jennifer Granholm after the first debate | Andrew Roth

    Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm is reportedly President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for Energy secretary.

    Granholm, who was Michigan’s first female governor and served two terms from 2003 to 2010, was last under consideration for the post and others during former President Barack Obama’s first term.

    Her relationship with Biden goes back decades, as she was tapped to play the role of Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, in the debate that year. Biden worked closely with Granholm during the auto bailout and aftermath in 2009.

    Granholm endorsed Biden ahead of Michigan’s March 10 primary, which he won.

    Jennifer Granholm endorses Joe Biden? You betcha.

    Politico first reported the news on Tuesday. Granholm’s record as a champion for the auto industry is considered an asset during an expected push for electric vehicles. Since leaving office, she founded and for five years chaired the American Jobs Project, a 30-state multi-university research project focused on advanced manufacturing jobs in clean energy.

    Biden has signaled with several appointments a commitment to tackling climate change, a marked reversal from President Trump’s administration.

    Granholm is a senior political contributor for CNN and teaches policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a senior research fellow at both the California Institute for Energy and Environment and the Berkeley Center for Information Technology Research in the Interests of Society (CITRIS).

    Other contenders were former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and DOE Undersecretary Arun Majumdar, Politico reported.

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    Susan J. Demas
    Susan J. Demas is a 19-year journalism veteran and one of the state’s foremost experts on Michigan politics, appearing on MSNBC, CNN, NPR and WKAR-TV’s “Off the Record.” In addition to serving as Editor-in-Chief, she is the Advance’s chief columnist, writing on women, LGBTQs, the state budget, the economy and more. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Farough & Associates, Michigan’s premier political communications firm. For almost five years, Susan was the Editor and Publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, the most-cited political newsletter in the state. Susan’s award-winning political analysis has run in more than 80 national, international and regional media outlets, including the Guardian U.K., NBC News, the New York Times, the Detroit News and MLive. She is the only Michigan journalist to be named to the Washington Post’s list of “Best Political Reporters,” the Huffington Post’s list of “Best Political Tweeters” and the Washington Post’s list of “Best Political Bloggers.” Susan was the recipient of a prestigious Knight Foundation fellowship in nonprofits and politics. She served as Deputy Editor for MIRS News and helped launch the Michigan Truth Squad, the Center for Michigan’s fact-checking project. She started her journalism career reporting on the Iowa caucuses for The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette. Susan has hiked over 3,000 solo miles across four continents and climbed more than 60 mountains. She also enjoys dragging her husband and two teenagers along, even if no one else wants to sleep in a tent anymore.