Amid concerns over Rep. Kay Granger's ‘dementia issues,' leaders highlight her trailblazing legacy in politics

Fort Worth congresswoman Kay Granger’s recent struggle with her health is fueling debate over how long representatives should be able to serve in Washington.

Granger’s family tells our partners at the Dallas Morning News that Granger is dealing with “dementia issues” – and records show Granger hasn’t voted in Congress since July.

While some share concerns about Granger’s transparency regarding her health during her final term, others are thinking of her historic achievements during her political career.

For 27 years, Kay Granger has represented Texas’s District 12 in the U.S. House of Representatives, an area that includes parts of Tarrant and Parker counties.

Congressional data from C-SPAN showed Granger hasn’t voted in Congress since July and has missed more than 300 votes.

Granger’s son told our partners at the Dallas Morning News that the congresswoman has been “having some dementia issues late in the year.”

He said Granger has been living in an independent senior living facility in Fort Worth, but not in memory care.

“She is being challenged by health-related issues that prevent her from being efficient in Congress,” said Carlos Rovelo, a political science professor.

Granger visited Washington last month to be honored for her work on the House Appropriations Committee and to close her Washington office.

“As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year,” Granger said in a statement. “However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable.”

Granger’s absence from Washington due to her health has led figures on both sides of the political aisle to call for term limits for legislators, including calls from California Democrat Ro Khanna, and Trump ally Elon Musk.

“What the public deserves is transparency,” said Rovelo. “Everyone in the district that she represents deserves that she’s open about her health.”

Amid the conversation about her health issues, some leaders in Fort Worth have been thinking about the legacy Granger leaves in the community.

“The fact that this woman, this divorced teacher and insurance agent, was able to get people in Fort Worth to vote for her as mayor, we rocked and rolled at that time,” said Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens.

Granger was the first woman elected mayor of Fort Worth in 1991, and the first-ever female Republican elected to Congress from Texas in 1996.

Supporters said she’s had a lasting impact through her work in the national legislature, including keeping the NAS Joint Reserve military base in Fort Worth.

“There may have been times when people were challenging or questioning, I wonder can Kay deliver, and a few years ago my remarks to people were basic, these words: let Kay be Kay,” said Bivens. “And she pulled off the money every friggin’ time.”

Granger’s term ends January 3 when she officially retires and Republican Craig Goldman takes over the District 12 seat.