Karen Camper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karen Camper
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Camper in 2023
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| Minority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Craig Fitzhugh |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 87th district |
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| Assumed office March 31, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Rowe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 15, 1958 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | State University of New York, Albany University of Tennessee, Knoxville (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank | Chief Warrant Officer |
Karen D. Camper (born January 15, 1958) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. She serves in the Tennessee House of Representatives, which is a part of the government that makes laws for the state of Tennessee.
Since 2008, she has represented District 87, an area in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. She first won her seat in a special election. A special election is held when a position becomes empty unexpectedly, in this case because the previous representative, Gary Rowe, passed away.
Before her career in politics, Camper served in the United States Army and reached the rank of Chief Warrant Officer.
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Political Career
Karen Camper has had a long and successful career in Tennessee's state government. She has been re-elected by voters many times since she first took office in 2008.
Serving the People of District 87
In her elections, Camper has often run unopposed, which means no other candidate from any party ran against her. This shows she has strong support from the people in her district.
- 2008: After winning the Democratic Party's primary election, Camper won the main election with 11,733 votes.
- 2010: She won her party's primary again and was unopposed in the main election, winning with 6,111 votes.
- 2012: She was unopposed in both the primary and the main election, where she won with 18,282 votes.
Leadership in the House
In 2019, Camper's fellow Democratic representatives chose her to be the Minority Leader. In a government body like the House of Representatives, the party with fewer members is called the minority party. The Minority Leader is the head of that party, helping to guide their work and speak for their ideas.
When she was elected to this role, Karen Camper made history. She became the first African-American to serve as a party leader in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
In 2022, Camper announced she was a candidate in the 2023 Memphis mayoral election to become the mayor of her city.
Education and Personal Life
Karen Camper earned an Associate degree from the University at Albany, SUNY and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee.
She is a baptist and has one child, Bruce, Jr.
External links
- Official page: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h87.html at the Tennessee General Assembly
- Campaign site
- Karen Camper at Ballotpedia
- Karen Camper at the National Institute on Money in State Politics
| Tennessee House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Craig Fitzhugh |
Minority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives 2019–present |
Incumbent |
