Biden taps former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to lead federal agency
President Joe Biden Tuesday nominated former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to lead the General Services Administration, an independent agency that oversees much of the federal government’s operations.
Carnahan, 59, served as Missouri’s top election official from 2005 to 2013.
Carnahan is a member of one of the most prominent political families in Missouri as the daughter of two-term Gov. Mel Carnahan and former Sen. Jean Carnahan, who became the first Missouri woman to serve in the Senate after her husband’s death shortly before the 2000 election. Her brother, former Rep. Russ Carnahan, also served four terms in the U.S. House.
She mounted a campaign for U.S. Senate in 2010, but lost to Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt by 14 percentage points. Blunt immediately signaled his support for Carnahan’s nomination, which requires Senate approval, upon the White House’s announcement.
“Robin Carnahan is smart, capable, and understands what they do at GSA. I look forward to supporting her nomination,” Blunt said in a statement.
Carnahan previously served as director of state and local practice at 18F, a digital services agency within the GSA that collaborates with other agencies to improve government websites, a post she was appointed to in 2016.
“At GSA, Carnahan helped federal, state and local government agencies improve customer facing digital services and cut costs,” the White House said in a statement describing her previous work for the agency.
The White House also touted Carnahan’s service in Missouri.
“As Secretary of State, Carnahan served as the state’s Chief Election Official and State Securities Regulator and was responsible for providing in-person and on-line services to hundreds of thousands of customers. An essential part of her job was leading the office’s technology modernization efforts,” the White House said.
The General Services Administration is not the most high-profile agency, but it came under close scrutiny after the 2020 election. Biden’s team could not formally begin the transition process until the GSA issued a letter of ascertainment that acknowledged him as the winner of the election.
Then-GSA Director Emily Murphy waited until the final week of November to issue the letter as then-President Donald Trump continued to dispute the election results, which delayed Biden’s transition efforts.
The GSA also plays a key role in managing the federal government’s real estate portfolio. It selected and brokered the lease for the downtown Kansas City building the U.S. Department of Agriculture relocated two research agencies to in 2019.
The GSA oversees $66 billion in federal procurement annually.
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Biden taps former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to lead federal agency."
