Amy Nichole Grady (; born October 15, 1979) is an American teacher and politician who has served as the junior West Virginia State Senator from the
4th district
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
since 2020. Grady is a Republican. Grady has served as the chair of the West Virginia Senate Education Committee since 2022.
Early life, education, and career
Grady is the daughter of Addie Roberts. She received her
Bachelor of Education degree from
Marietta College and West Virginia University and served as a teacher before running for office.
Elections
Grady, a teacher, was inspired to run for office after participating in the
2018 West Virginia teachers' strike
The West Virginia teachers' and school personnel strike began on February 22, 2018 with a call from the West Virginia branches of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, and the West Virginia School Service Pers ...
. Her later opponent in the primary, Lt. Governor and President of the
West Virginia Senate, Mitch Carmichael, had opposed pay raises for teachers and supported
charter schools. Her role in the strike led her to seek the office.
On her website, Grady described herself as a "
Pro-life, Pro-
2nd Amendment conservative teacher who is fed up with self-serving elected officials." Her campaign was self-funded and Carmichael outraised her by more than 50:1 in the primary.
Grady won the three-way primary election with 39.12% of the vote, defeating Carmichael by a margin of fewer than 1000 votes. Carmichael conceded the evening of the election and agreed to support Grady in the general.
Grady defeated Democrat Bruce Ashworth in the
2020 general election
The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...
with 70.69% of the vote.
Tenure
Committee assignments
* Education (chair)
*Health and Human Resources (Vice Chair)
*Agriculture and Rural Development
*Judiciary
*Military
*Natural Resources
Education
Grady spoke in support of and voted for House Bill 2013, a bill that would allow more public funds to be used by parents sending their children to
private schools.
Grady voted for Senate Bill 680, a bill that would make it harder for school staff to be given raises.
Transgender rights
As a member of the education committee, Grady was the lead sponsor of Senate Bill 341, a bill that would require
transgender athletes
The participation of transgender people in competitive sports, a traditionally sex-segregated institution, is a controversial issue, particularly the inclusion of transgender women and girls in women's sports.
Opponents argue that transgende ...
to compete in sports associated with their biological sex.
DC statehood
With many of her fellow Senators, Grady signed onto a resolution requesting
West Virginia Senators and Congresspeople to oppose bills that would allow
statehood for the District of Columbia
The District of Columbia statehood movement is a political movement that advocates making the District of Columbia a U.S. state, to provide the residents of the District of Columbia with voting representation in the Congress and complete ...
.
Personal life
Grady is married to Jack L. Grady and has three children. She is a Christian.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grady, Amy
1979 births
21st-century American politicians
Living people
Republican Party West Virginia state senators
Marietta College alumni