Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton Nominated for 2012 Grammys: List of Politicians Nominated for Best Spoken Word Album.

The Steady Rise of Politicians at the Grammys

Posted Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012, at 4:42 PM ET

Both First lady Michelle Obama and former U.S. President Bill Clinton have been nominated for Grammys this year

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The announcement of the 55^th Annual Grammy nominations this morning revealed that both First Lady Michelle Obama and former U.S. President Bill Clinton were nominated for best spoken word album—Obama for her gardening advocacy in American Grown and Bill Clinton for his pro-government tome Back To Work: Why We Need Smart Government For A Strong Economy.

You may recall that Barack Obama has already won this award twice—for The Audacity of Hope in 2008 and Dreams from My Father in 2006. What you may not have noticed is that, over the last decade, the category has been overrun with politicians, as Obama, Jimmy Carter, both Clintons, and Al Franken have all received multiple nominations.

While politicians have recently begun dominating the category, they’ve had a presence since the early days of the category, which was introduced in 1959. Below is our attempt at a comprehensive list of all the major political figures to be nominated for the best spoken word Grammy—from Adlai Stevenson to Michelle Obama.

Did we miss anyone? If so, let us know in the comments.

1966

Adlai Stevenson II, for The Voice of the Uncommon Man (nominee)

1968

Senator Everett Dirksen (R, Ill.), for Gallant Men: Stories of American Adventure (winner)

1971

Everett Dirksen, for Everett Dirksen's America (nominee)

1975

Senator Sam Ervin (D, N.C.), for Senator Sam at Home (nominee)

1985

Rev. Jesse Jackson, for Our Time Has Come (nominee)

1989