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Jennifer Granholm on Principles & Values
Democratic Governor (MI)
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Born in Canada; raised in California; elected in Michigan
Most of my supporters knew it was a fluke that I'd been elected governor at all. I wasn't even from Michigan. I'd been born in Canada and raised since the age of 4 in California's San Francisco Bay area, far from the factories and farms of the Midwest.
My dad, Victor Ivar Granholm, is a gentleman and a Republican, a stoic Swede who never raises his voice. My mom, Shirley Dowden Granholm, is a pragmatic, earthy Newfoundlander.
When I was little, my mom gave me 3 specific pieces of advice: "Don't talk about yourself--nobody wants to hear it--don't ask strangers for money, and don't wear your dress-up clothes every day."
With that guidance, I have no idea how I ended up running for office.
Source: A Governor's Story, by Jennifer Granholm, p. 5-6
, Oct 1, 2005
Elected Attorney General on slogan, "I'll take your case!"
I worked as a successful federal prosecutor and then, beginning in 1994, as Wayne County corporation counsel, where I led the law department of Michigan's largest county. But in 1998, when Michigan Attorney General shocked political followers by
announcing his retirement after 37 years on the job, a former Democratic Party chair began prodding me to "go for it."So I leaped. Seven other candidates, all men, and none with my prosecutorial and civil law experience, vied for the spot.
I built my campaign around a promise to fight for everyday people. "I'll take your case!" I told ripped-off consumers. "I'll take your case!" I told environmentalists eager to protect the waters of the Great Lakes. "I'll take your case!"
I told parents who wanted to guard their children against online predators, and seniors who needed protection from financial con artists. I won the Democratic nomination and subsequently became Michigan's attorney general.
Source: A Governor's Story, by Jennifer Granholm, p. 10-11
, Oct 1, 2005
Page last updated: Dec 21, 2020