If Kamala Harris wins in November, would Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stick around?
That question is central to how a potential Harris administration would staff an agency crucial to the trillion-dollar effort to boost clean energy production and manufacturing. With the election just six weeks away, Department of Energy veterans and energy experts are already talking about the most likely candidates to replace Granholm if she leaves — or join her team if she stays.
Granholm said she was “open to whatever” when asked last week if she would consider staying in her role.
“But those are conversations I would have to have, and it would have to probably be with whoever wins the election,” she said at an Axios event at New York Climate Week. “And let’s be clear: there’s only one person that I’d serve with.”
Among the top prospects to replace Granholm in a Harris administration are Arun Majumdar, a dean at Stanford who serves on Granholm’s advisory board, key Biden administration officials like climate adviser Ali Zaidi and Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk and Western governors including Jared Polis (D-Colo.), according to interviews with more than a half-dozen DOE veterans and experts.
“Since President Biden has had such a stable cabinet in so many ways, there was an expectation that even if he had stayed in the race and was reelected, there would be some natural turnover,” said Josh Freed, senior vice president for the climate and energy program at the think tank Third Way. “The change to Kamala Harris as the nominee only enhanced that.”
But such personnel discussions are only just beginning. The Harris campaign is two months old — and the priority is winning the quickly approaching election, not lining up cabinet positions, experts say.
The contest in November is a toss-up with battleground races tight and Harris only edging out former President Donald Trump by a couple points in national polling. While Harris is expected to continue President Joe Biden’s clean energy policies if she wins, Republican candidate Donald Trump could refocus the Department of Energy on fossil fuels.
Even if Harris wins, Democrats could lose the Senate, as far more Democrats are up for reelection this cycle than Republicans. The results of Senate races could be a major influence over the team Harris builds, as the chamber must confirm the agency’s high-level positions.
“If the Senate changes hands, even getting folks confirmed will be a challenge,” said Dan Reicher, a DOE veteran and senior research scholar at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
That could incentivize Granholm to stay on board, to avoid a contentious nomination process, observers said.
But after three and a half years on the job, Granholm has led DOE longer than many of her predecessors. Steven Chu — who served in the Obama administration — holds the record at four years and three months.
The following is a list of the most likely candidates to fill top DOE slots or replace Granholm if she leaves. E&E News compiled the list from on and off the record interviews with DOE veterans and other energy experts.
But potential candidates are keeping quiet for now.
“Everyone is so focused on winning that it would be seen in bad taste to try to put the cart before the horse and start campaigning for a cabinet level position,” said Jeff Navin, co-founder of Boundary Stone Partners and a former DOE chief of staff.
All those named did not respond or could not be reached for comment, aside from Polis’ office, which said the governor looks forward to “continuing the strong climate partnership with President Harris.”
Arun Majumdar
Arun Majumdar appears to be the crowd favorite for new secretary if Granholm leaves.
Majumdar is the dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and chair of Granholm’s advisory board, which provides policy recommendations to the secretary.
In 2009, he also launched the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, a DOE office that provides seed money for innovative clean energy projects. The Senate confirmed Majumdar for the position by voice vote, a procedure reserved for noncontroversial candidates. He also served as DOE’s acting undersecretary.
Majumdar recently said his Stanford school is open to working with oil companies “that want to diversify and be part of the solutions.”
Navin of Boundary Stone Partners said Majumdar is an “accomplished technical leader,” akin to former DOE secretaries Chu and Ernest Moniz.
Administration stalwarts
Experts said Biden administration officials also make good choices for energy secretary.
That includes Zaidi, the national climate adviser to Biden. Zaidi has been a key public figure for the Biden administration’s climate agenda. He often speaks at events and press conferences, touting the economic gains from new clean energy projects. Zaidi was an adviser to former Secretary Chu.
Turk, DOE’s deputy energy secretary, is the agency’s second-in-command and knows the ins and outs of all its programs. He has taken a lead role in implementing the clean energy investments of Biden’s signature climate law. Prior to joining DOE, Turk served as deputy executive director of the International Energy Agency.
Both Zaidi and Turk would be able to easily take over the reins of DOE on Day 1. Experts say Zaidi is likely interested in a high-ranking cabinet position like DOE secretary if Harris wins. Some said Turk may be more comfortable keeping his current position of chief operating officer of the agency.
White House Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall is another administration figure who could jump to DOE. She served as deputy energy secretary under Moniz.
Trio of governors
Western governors are also in the mix for heading up DOE should Granholm leave.
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has pushed ambitious clean energy and electrification plans since he was first elected in 2019. Earlier this year, he brokered a deal that got oil companies to pony up money for public transit.
Polis, a former House member, has also criticized the Biden administration for imposing tariffs on clean energy goods like solar panels.
Another possible candidate is New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the Democratic leader of one of the nation’s top natural-gas-producing states. Lujan Grisham, also a former House member, is trying to kick-start hydrogen production in New Mexico.
And finally, Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee is already stumping for Harris. The climate hawk and former presidential candidate oversaw the creation of a cap-and-trade emissions program in 2021 (which is in danger of being repealed). He isn’t seeking reelection this year.
The technocrats
DOE veterans also named a slate of possible candidates with private sector experience.
Richard Kauffman, chair of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, is seen as a good fit if a potential Harris administration tries to encourage private sector investment in clean energy.
Kauffman is chair of clean energy firm Generate Capital and senior adviser to the DOE-linked National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He was also a senior adviser to then-Secretary Chu during the Obama administration and once was a partner at Goldman Sachs.
Experts also pointed to Katie McGinty, the vice president and chief sustainability and external relations officer for Johnson Controls. McGinty was the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Bill Clinton and went on to serve in various top roles in Pennsylvania state government.
She has also been the senior vice president for oceans at the Environmental Defense Fund and a member of the board of directors for utility NRG Energy. McGinty made a failed bid for Senate in 2016.
Cathy Zoi, another potential candidate to serve at DOE, is a board member at Apax Global Impact, a green investment firm. She is the former CEO of EVgo, an electric vehicle fast charging network. The Biden administration has made EVs a critical part of its climate agenda — a focus Harris is expected to continue if she wins in November.
