Karen Handel

Karen Handel, born on April eighteenth, nineteen sixty-two, is a prominent American businesswoman and former politician known for her significant contributions to public service and advocacy. A member of the Republican Party, she held various influential positions, including chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners from two thousand three to two thousand six and Secretary of State of Georgia from two thousand seven to two thousand ten.

In two thousand ten, Handel made a bid for the governorship of Georgia but faced a narrow defeat in the Republican primary against Nathan Deal, who criticized her for her perceived support of gay rights and abortion rights. Following this, she took on a pivotal role as Senior Vice President of public policy at Susan G. Komen for the Cure in two thousand eleven, where she made headlines by advocating for the cessation of funding for breast-cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, a move that stemmed from her personal anti-abortion beliefs. This decision led to significant controversy and ultimately resulted in her resignation from the organization in February two thousand twelve.

In two thousand seventeen, Handel achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Republican woman from Georgia elected to the U.S. Congress, winning a special election to represent Georgia's sixth congressional district. However, her tenure was short-lived; in the general election of two thousand eighteen, she narrowly lost her seat to Democrat Lucy McBath. The following year, on November third, two thousand twenty, Handel faced McBath again in a rematch, where she received an even lower percentage of the vote than in the previous election.