Karen Whitsett (born November 8, 1967) is an American politician from Michigan. Whitsett is a Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives from

District 4 District 4 can refer to: * District 4, Düsseldorf, in Germany * District 4, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia * District 4 (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam * District 4 (New York City Council), in the United States *IV District, Turku The IV Distr ...

. She is the most conservative Democrats in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Early life

Whitsett was born on November 8th, 1967 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

State legislature

Elections

2018

On November 6, 2018, Whitsett won the election and became a Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives for District 9. Whitsett defeated James Stephens with 95.1% of the votes.

2020

Whitsett won her August 2022 primary, beating out Roslyn Ogburn, a fourth-generation Detroiter and mother of five. She then won the general election.

2022

On November 8, 2022, Whitsett was elected with 87% of the vote to the 4th state House district, which had changed since previous elections with redistricting.

Controversies

COVID-19

Whitsett reported she was diagnosed with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

on April 6, 2020. At the same time, Whitsett credited President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

and his personal support of

hydroxychloroquine Hydroxychloroquine, sold under the brand name Plaquenil among others, is a medication used to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine. Other uses include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, an ...

and

azithromycin Azithromycin, sold under the brand names Zithromax (in oral form) and Azasite (as an eye drop), is an antibiotic medication used for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections. This includes middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumo ...

treatments with saving her life, stating, "If President Trump had not talked about this, it would not be something that's accessible for anyone to be able to get that right now, it would not even be possible." In May 2020, Whitsett announced she would sue Governor of Michigan

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 ...

over a censure pertaining to COVID-19, alleging that the Governor and the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization were attempting to deprive her of her right to engage in protected speech after she publicly supported President Trump. In June 2020, Whitsett dropped the federal lawsuit.

Abortion

In 2023, Whitsett was the sole Democrat in the Michigan House Health Policy Committee to vote against the Reproductive Health Act, an 11-bill package pertaining to abortion access. Whitsett's concerns included the use of state Medicaid funds for abortions and waiting periods between the consultation and the procedure.

Personal life

Whitsett's lives with her husband, Jason, and their dog, Peace. They have one child. Whitsett and her family live in

, Michigan.

References

External links

Karen Whitsett at ballotpedia.org

Campaign website

House website
1967 births 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians African-American state legislators in Michigan African-American women in politics Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Living people Politicians from Detroit Women state legislators in Michigan {{Michigan-politician-stub