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Jena Griswold

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Jena Griswold
Griswold in 2018
39th Secretary of State of Colorado
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2019
GovernorJared Polis
Preceded byWayne Williams
Personal details
Born (1984-10-02) October 2, 1984 (age 40)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationWhitman College (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (JD)
WebsiteGovernment website

Jena Marie Griswold (born October 2, 1984) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Colorado. A Democrat, she is the 39th Colorado Secretary of State, serving since January 8, 2019.[1]

Early life and career

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Griswold was born in a Jewish family in Toledo, Ohio,[2][3][4] and moved to Estes Park, Colorado, at the age of 10. She graduated from Estes Park High School in 2002. She graduated from Whitman College magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Spanish Literature in 2006.[1] She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School with a Juris Doctor in 2011.[5] In 2006, Griswold was awarded the Watson Foundation Fellowship,[6] and in 2009, the Penn Law International Human Rights Fellowship.

Griswold moved to Washington, D.C. in 2011,[7] and worked for President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign as a voter protection attorney.[8] In 2013, Governor John Hickenlooper appointed her to be his liaison to the federal government.[9]

Secretary of State of Colorado

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In the 2018 general election, Griswold ran for Secretary of State of Colorado.[8] She defeated the incumbent Republican Wayne Williams in the November 6 general election to become the first elected Democratic Secretary of State in Colorado since 1963[10] and the first woman from the Democratic Party to ever hold the office.[11]

Griswold has prioritized campaign finance reform and increasing voter registration.[12] She filed suit to prevent Tina Peters from being able to oversee elections in Mesa County in 2021 and 2022 due to her attempt to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.[13][14]

Griswold won a second term in the 2022 election, defeating Republican Pam Anderson, a former county clerk and recorder from Jefferson County, with 55 percent of the vote.[15]

On September 6, 2023, six voters filed a lawsuit in Colorado state district court seeking to prevent Trump from appearing on the state's Republican presidential primary due to his alleged role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, naming Griswold as the respondent in her official capacity as Colorado Secretary of State.[16] Judge Sarah B. Wallace ruled that Griswold must keep Trump on the ballot but stated that Trump engaged in insurrection by standard of preponderance of the evidence,[17] the first time a judge has explicitly stated Trump incited the January 6 Capitol attack,[18] The plaintiffs appealed the ruling[19] and the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in a 4–3 per curiam decision[20] that Trump is disqualified from the primary ballot, reversing the district court's ruling.[21] The Supreme Court of the United States later ruled that individual states cannot prevent a candidate from appearing on a presidential ballot.[22]

On April 4, 2024, a resolution proposed by Republicans to impeach Griswold was introduced to the Colorado House of Representatives.[23] The impeachment articles cited Griswold's comments about Donald Trump leading up to the Supreme Court hearing of Trump v. Anderson, and the incorrect claim that Trump was not on the ballot for the Colorado presidential primary. On April 9, 2024, the impeachment articles failed in the House Judicial Committee.[24]

Other political ventures

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In 2019, it was reported that Griswold was considering a bid for United States Senate in the 2020 election against Republican incumbent Cory Gardner.[25] She launched an exploratory committee for the position in July 2019. Griswold ultimately declined to run.[26]

Since 2019, Jena Griswold has chaired the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.[27][28] The group notably helped bolster Democratic Secretary of State candidates in battleground states in 2022 in a successful attempt to defeat Republicans that were election deniers.[29]

Personal life

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Griswold is Jewish.[30] Griswold married Mohamed Enab in May 2014.[31] In May 2024, she married her fiancé, Mario Cañedo.[32] Griswold and Cañedo have one son, who was born in August 2024.[33] Griswold lives in Louisville, Colorado.[1]

Electoral history

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Colorado Secretary of State Election, 2018[34]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jena Griswold 1,313,716 52.70
Republican Wayne Williams 1,113,927 44.69
Constitution Amanda Campbell 51,734 2.08
Approval Voting Blake Huber 13,258 0.53
Colorado Secretary of State Election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jena Griswold 1,369,040 55.1
Republican Pam Anderson 1,045,582 42.1
Libertarian Bennett Rutledge 36,485 1.4
American Constitution Amanda Campbell 17,602 0.71
Unity Gary Swing 11,458 0.46
Approval Voting Jan Kok 4,591 0.18

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Secretary Griswold's Biography". www.sos.state.co.us. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  2. ^ "Why are so many people riled up by Jena Griswold?". www.coloradosun.com. October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  3. ^ Ellen McCarthy (June 19, 2014). "On Love: Jena Griswold and Mohamed Enab". The Washington Post. WP Company LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Jeremy Sharon (April 27, 2023). "Antisemitic incidents in US soar to highest level in two decades". The Jerusalem Post. Jerusalem Post Group. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  5. ^ The Denver Post (October 10, 2018). "Colorado Secretary of State race Q&A: Wayne Williams, Jena Griswold, Amanda Campbell and Blake Huber". Denverpost.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "Watson Winner to Dance Across Four Continents | Whitman College". Whitman.edu. April 5, 2006. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Lubitz, Rachel (June 21, 2014). "On Love: Jena Griswold and Mohamed Enab". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Frank, John (July 12, 2017). "Jena Griswold launches campaign for Colorado secretary of state". Denverpost.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  9. ^ Sherry, Allison (June 19, 2013). "Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper opens office in Washington – The Denver Post". Denverpost.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  10. ^ Warner, Ryan (January 9, 2019). "Secretary Of State Jena Griswold On The Record; What's To Be Found On The Moon's Far Side". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  11. ^ "'Breaking Barriers': Jena Griswold Makes History In Secretary Of State's Race". November 7, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "CO's New Secretary of State Pushes For Change to Campaign Finance Laws – CBS Denver". Denver.cbslocal.com. January 17, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  13. ^ "Colorado secretary of state sues to stop Mesa County clerk from overseeing elections". The Denver Post. August 30, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  14. ^ Birkeland, Bente (January 18, 2022). "State, Mesa Clerk going to court over whether she can oversee 2022 election". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  15. ^ Birkeland, Bente (November 8, 2022). "Democrat Jena Griswold wins second term as Colorado's top election official". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  16. ^ Astor, Maggie (September 6, 2023). "Colorado Lawsuit Seeks to Keep Trump Off Ballots Under 14th Amendment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  17. ^ Colorado Supreme Court 2023, p. 60.
  18. ^ Blake, Aaron (November 20, 2023). "A judge says Trump incited insurrection. Other judges have come close". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  19. ^ Riccardi, Nicholas (November 21, 2023). "Colorado Supreme Court will hear appeal of ruling that Trump can stay on ballot despite insurrection". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  20. ^ Colorado Supreme Court 2023, p. 6.
  21. ^ Astor, Maggie (December 19, 2023). "Trump Is Disqualified From the 2024 Ballot, Colorado Supreme Court Rules". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  22. ^ Liptak, Adam (March 4, 2024). "Supreme Court Rules Trump Stays on Colorado Ballot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  23. ^ "Impeachment resolution against Colorado's Secretary of State introduced in state House". Colorado Public Radio. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Birkeland ·, Bente (April 9, 2024). "Republican attempt to impeach Colorado's Secretary of State fails in state House". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  25. ^ Luning, Ernest (July 16, 2019). "Democrat Jena Griswold exploring U.S. Senate bid against Cory Gardner". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  26. ^ Wingerter, Justin (August 9, 2019). "Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is not running for U.S. Senate". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  27. ^ Luning, ERNEST (February 2, 2023). "Jena Griswold reelected to head Democratic secretaries of state group". Colorado Politics. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  28. ^ "Leadership". Democratic Association of Secretaries of State | DASS. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  29. ^ Paz, Christian (November 19, 2022). "Democrats' quietly effective strategy for defeating election deniers". Vox. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  30. ^ Bianchi, Chris (November 30, 2018). "Led by a Desire to Help the World, Jewish Politicians Take Charge in Colorado". Westword. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  31. ^ "On Love: Jena Griswold and Mohamed Enab". Washington Post. May 9, 2021. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  32. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  33. ^ Klamann, Seth (September 13, 2024). "Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold takes maternity leave, says election preparations on track". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  34. ^ "Election Night Reporting". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.

Sources

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Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Colorado
2019–present 		Incumbent
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