Two weeks before the 119th U.S. Congress began, a story began to circulate online that U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a Republican from Texas who had missed votes since July 2024, had been "found" in a dementia care facility. For example, the conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted the rumor on Dec. 21, 2024 (archived):
As of this writing, the post had gained more than 37 million views and 60,000 likes. Many people appeared to take the claim at face value. "How is it not a crime to have not disclosed her situation," an X user asked in response. "How could she be reelected to office if she couldn't even be found?"
The claim also appeared on Reddit, in a post that suggested a cover-up, and on Facebook. Further, Snopes readers searched "Is Kay Granger in a memory care facility?"
The rumor originated with The Dallas Express, a conservative website that was launched in 2021 using the name of an historically Black-run newspaper and that publishes "pink slime" news — news of poor quality. In 2020, the newspaper's CEO, Chris Putnam, unsuccessfully tried to unseat Granger in the Republican primary election.
The Dallas Express reported that Granger's team "had packed up and closed the office before Thanksgiving." The report cited an unnamed "constituent" who said Granger was living at a memory care and assisted living home "after having been found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood."
The outlet accurately reported that Granger cast her last vote on July 24, 2024, according to the Office of the Clerk and her own website, which included a voting records page that has since been taken down (archived).
However, the report of where she was living was soon contradicted by Granger's son Brandon Granger in an interview he gave to The Dallas Morning News. He acknowledged that his mother, 81, had dealt with "dementia issues," but that she had been living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, a facility that includes independent living and memory care facilities. Granger, he said, was in independent living.
Granger, who served 14 terms in Congress, did not seek reelection in 2024. In a written statement released to CNN, her office said she had indeed been struggling with health issues for a few months:
I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over the past several days. As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.
However, Granger visited Washington in November 2024 to attend a celebration of her leadership in the Appropriations Committee. We have contacted her office asking for more details and will update this report should we receive a response.