Annie Key is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 11th District from 2001−2006. A former telephone worker with Ohio Bell and later

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

, Key initially ran for the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000 to succeed

Troy Lee James Troy Lee James (April 18, 1924 – November 1, 2007) was a Democratic politician who formerly served in the Ohio House of Representatives. A former laborer and union leader, James initially ran for the Ohio House of Representatives in 1966, foll ...

, who had held the seat for 34 years and no longer could run due to

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

. She succeeded in her bid, and was seated on January 3, 2001. She would go on to win reelection in 2002, and 2004. By her second term, Key was serving as the ranking Democratic member on the Ethics and Elections Committee. In 2006, Key opted to forgo another term in the House to run for the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

in an open seat. However, with the seat being incredibly Democratic, she faced a contentious primary against Shirley Smith and

Claudette Woodard Claudette Johanne Woodard (April 21, 1945 – February 26, 2010) was a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 9th District from 2001 to 2006. She died in 2010, aged 64. She had vascular dementia Vascul ...

. In the end, Smith defeated Key, ultimately ending her political career in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

. She was succeeded by her aide, Democrat Sandra Williams. Following her defeat, Key returned to Cleveland and remains active in the community. Her daughter,

Stephanie Howse Stephanie D. Howse (born August 21, 1979) is an American politician serving as a member of the Cleveland City Council from the 7th ward. She was previously a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2015 to 2022. Early life and educatio ...

, currently serves in the Ohio House representing the 11th District - Key's former district.

References

External links

The Ohio Ladies Gallery: Rep. Annie L. Key (D-Cleveland)
Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Living people People from Camden, Alabama Women state legislators in Ohio 1940 births African-American state legislators in Ohio 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women {{Ohio-OHRepresentative-stub