Graham, Gwen, 1963-

Gwendolyn Graham (born January 31, 1963) is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 2nd congressional district from 2015 to 2017.

Born in Miami Lakes, Florida to future Florida Governor and Senator Bob Graham, Graham graduated from Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida in 1980 before earning her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984 and her Juris Doctor from American University's Washington College of Law in 1988. She married Mark Logan in 1985; the two later divorced. After earning her J.D., Graham worked in a law firm focusing on energy and environmental issues. She temporarily stopped practicing law after the birth of her first child.

Graham jumped into politics in 2003 when her father announced his candidacy for President after serving 16 years in the U.S. Senate. She worked for her father’s campaign and resumed her law practice. After her father withdrew from the race in the fall, Graham became Florida’s national campaign liaison for Senator John Kerry’s presidential team. Graham initially floated the idea of running for Congress in 2006, but she did not immediately seek public office. Instead, she accepted an offer from the Leon County school district to work as director of employee relations. She later became the director for professional standards and chief of labor and employee relations in the county school system. In 2010 Graham married Steven Hurm, a Florida law enforcement officer.

In 2013, Graham announced her candidacy for the U.S. House against Republican incumbent Steve Southerland. Confident she could successfully appeal to the politically diverse district by connecting with its constituents, Graham met many voters and learned the needs of the Second District through a practice she borrowed from her father called a “Graham Workday.” During these events, Graham assisted local businesses, schools, and farms with their daily tasks. She ultimately defeated Sutherland by less than one percentage point.

Prior to her swearing in, Graham said both parties need new leadership in Congress and that she would not vote for Nancy Pelosi to be speaker of the House. Graham advocated for congressional reforms, including legislation to prohibit members of Congress from using federal funds to pay for first-class airfare and a bill to prevent future government shutdowns. On the policy side, Graham won powerful committee assignments that directly benefited her district. On the Agriculture Committee, she focused on her district’s many farms and cosponsored legislation to protect Florida’s crops from insects. With her other appointment to the Armed Services Committee, she worked to create recovery programs for injured veterans. While Graham voted with her party on legislation regarding women’s rights and immigrant protection, she occasionally sided with Republicans on foreign affairs and environmental policy. Graham was ranked as the ninth most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 114th United States Congress in the Bipartisan Index.

Heading into the 115th Congress (2017–2019), Florida redrew its congressional districts. Graham’s new seat leaned more Republican than her former constituency, and rather than seek re-election, Graham retired from the House at the end of her term. In May 2017, Graham announced her candidacy for governor of Florida but she ultimately lost the Democratic primary to Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, whom she endorsed. On April 16, 2021, it was announced that Graham would be nominated to serve as assistant secretary of the United States Department of Education for legislation and congressional affairs. On April 22, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate. The nomination is currently pending before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.