Introduction
Keisha Sean Waites (born 1972) is an American politician from the state of Georgia. A Democrat, she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives 60th District on February 7, 2012, in a special election. District 60 includes southeast Atlanta, College Park, East Point, Hapeville, Forest Park, Hartsfield Jackson Airport, Porsche Headquarters and parts of Clayton and DeKalb counties.
Early life and career
Born in 1972 at Grady Hospital, Rep. Waites attended Lakeside High School in Atlanta and graduated in 1991. She then attended Georgia Southern and Atlanta Metropolitan College and graduated with a degree in political science.
Political career
Before winning election to the state legislature in 2012, Waites mounted seven unsuccessful campaigns for elected office:
- 2001: Atlanta City Council, at-large post 1 (as Sean Waites)
- 2002: State Senate, District 36: placed fourth in the Democratic primary
- 2005: Atlanta City Council
- 2006: Fulton County Commission
- 2008: State House, District 61: lost primary runoff
- 2009: Atlanta City Council
- 2011: Fulton County Commission: lost runoff
In addition, Waites applied for an appointment to the Atlanta City Council in 2004, one of four candidates who put themselves forward to temporarily fill a vacant seat. The council did not select Waites for the vacancy, choosing Esther Stewart-Moseley instead.
Waites's qualified for the District 60 House seat on January 9, 2012. In the special election, she took 54.2 percent of the vote (321 votes) compared to 18.6 percent (110 votes) for Theresa Middlebrooks and 27.2 percent (161 votes) for Latrenka Riley, thus avoiding a runoff.
Waites ran unopposed in the 2014 general election, maintaining her seat for another two years until the 2016 elections, when all 180 seats will be up for contest.
Personal
Waites is a lesbian. She is one of two openly gay members of the Georgia General Assembly, alongside Representative Karla Drenner (D–Avondale Estates).