Karen Keiser

Karen Keiser
Washington State Senate District 33
Incumbent
In office
2001-Present
Term ends
January 12, 2015
Years in position	12
Party	Democratic
Compensation
Base salary	$42,106/year
Per diem	$90/day
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 2, 2010
Next election	November 4, 2014
Appointed	2001
Term limits	N/A
Prior offices
Washington State House of Representatives
1996-2001
Education
Bachelor's	University of California, Berkeley, 1969
Master's	University of California, Berkeley, 1973
Personal
Birthday	September 29, 1947
Place of birth	Sioux City, IA
Religion	Lutheran
Websites
Office website

Karen Keiser is a Democratic member of the Washington State Senate, representing District 33. She was first appointed to the chamber in 2001.

Previously, Keiser was appointed to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1996 and served there until her appointment to the Senate in 2001. Keiser's first political experience began with her service as Precinct Committee Officer of the 33rd District from 1988 to 1995.

Biography

Keiser earned her BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley in 1969. She went on to earn her MSJ in Journalism from the University of California-Berkeley in 1973. She then graduated from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Keiser was a reporter for several TV stations. From 1972 to 1975 she worked for KGW-TV in Oregon. She then worked for KMGH-TV in Colorado from 1975 to 1978. She went on to work for KSTW-TV in Washington from 1979 to 1981. Keiser also was Communications Director for the Washington State Labor Council from 1981 to 2006.

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Keiser served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Keiser served on the following committees:

Issues

Political positions

Debt negotiations

Keiser is one of the members of a bipartisan group organized by the National Conference of Legislatures called the Task Force on Federal Deficit Reduction (TFFDR). Consisting of 23 state lawmakers from 17 states, the group went to Capitol Hill on September 21, 2011 to urge the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to cut the nation's debt but not impose severe budget cuts on the states.

TFFDR urged the Committee to consider new revenue as a possibility, instead of just focusing on budget cuts as House Speaker John Boehner has proposed. The group specifically proposed passage of the "Main Street Fairness Act," which would allow states to tax online retailers.

Elections

2010

See also: Washington State Senate elections, 2010

Karen Keiser was re-elected to the Washington State Senate District 33. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 17, 2010. She defeated Republican Jack Michalek in the November 2, 2010 General Election.

Washington State Senate, District 33 General Election (2010)
Candidates		Votes	Percent
Karen Keiser (D)		20,559	59.78%
Jack Michalek (R)		13,833	40.22%

Washington State Senate, District 33 Primary (2010)
Candidates		Votes	Percent
Karen Keiser (D)		11,107	57.77%
Jack Michalek (R)		8,120	42.23%

2006

In November 2006, Keiser was re-elected for the 33rd District of the Washington State Senate receiving 18,083 votes.

Keiser raised $223,090 for her campaign.

Washington State Senate, District 33 (2006)
Candidates		Votes
Karen Keiser (D)		18,083
Karen Steele (R)		10,898

Campaign donors

2010

In 2010, Keiser received $117,669 in campaign donations. The top contributors to the campaign are listed below.

Washington State Senate 2010 election - Campaign Contributions
Top contributors to Karen Keiser's campaign in 2010
Molina Healthcare	$1,600
Fire Fighters Local 2024	$1,600
Washington State Auto Dealers Association	$1,600
Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council	$1,600
International Union Of Operating Engineers Local 302	$1,600
Total Raised in 2010	$117,669

2006

In 2006, Keiser collected $223,090 in donations.

Listed below are the top four contributors to her campaign.

Donor	Amount
Alliance for Washington Entertainment PAC	$1,400
Washington Refuse & Recycling Association	$1,400
Campaign for Tribal Self-Reliance	$1,400
Washington Education Association	$1,400

Personal

Keiser is divorced with three children, named David, Elizabeth and Marc.

Scorecards

Freedom Foundation

See also: Freedom Foundation's Big Spender List

The Freedom Foundation releases its Big Spender List annually. The Institute ranks all Washington legislators based on their total proposed tax and fee increases. To find each legislator’s total, the Institute adds up the 10-year tax increases or decreases, as estimated by Washington’s Office of Financial Management, of all bills sponsored or co-sponsored by that legislator.

2012

Keiser proposed a 10-year decrease in state taxes and fees of $3.01 billion, the 44th highest amount of proposed new net taxes and fees of the 46 Washington state senators on the Freedom Foundation’s 2012 Big Spender List.

Recent news

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This section displays the most recent stories in a Google News search for the term "Karen + Keiser + Washington + Senate"

All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.

Karen Keiser News Feed

• LEGISLATIVE TALLY - Williamsport Sun-Gazette
• Legislative Session Yields New Mental Health Bills, Advocates Say More Needs ... - KUOW News and Information
• New Involuntary Commitment Bill Will Assist Courts with Mentally Ill Treatment - KNDO/KNDU

External links

Suggest a link

• Karen Keiser on the Washington State Senate website
• Keiser's state-sponsored website
• Legislative profile of Keiser on Project Vote Smart
• Biographical profile of Keiser on Project vote Smart
• Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996
• Keiser on Facebook
• Keiser on MySpace
• Washington Votes profile of Keiser

References

Political offices
Preceded by '	Washington Senate District 33 2001-present	Succeeded by NA