Candidate for
United States Representative; District 52; Democratic Party

Karen was born and raised in the East County of San Diego, California.

After graduating from Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley in 1983, Karen enlisted in the United States Army and served as a Pershing Missile Crewman. She also received additional training for and was awarded the additional military occupational specialty of Legal Clerk. The discipline and training of the Army ingrained in Karen a superior work ethic and responsibility to service. Assigned to Army nuclear missile units in Oklahoma and Germany, Karen found remarkable the dedication to service of her fellow soldiers. As a sergeant, she performed in areas of Operations including the grave responsibility of receipt and retransmission of fire orders. Today, the response of the Iraqi people to our occupation of their country reminds Karen of the Germans' resentment of having our nuclear weapons located in their country, with the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons aimed at them as well. This is simply a reaction of another nation's people having to bear the burden of our security. This is a deadly burden borne by Iraqis under the Bush Administration's policy of "fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here."

After leaving the military, Karen worked in increasingly responsible areas of administration and management. In 2003, after extensive training through the California Association of Community Managers (CACM), she obtained the professional certification of Community Association Manager (CCAM). A CCAM is a professional designation that is highly respected in the property management industry. Karen now manages one new, large planned development of 1600 units upon completion and six condominium communities in Chula Vista. As manager, she manages the business of these associations where budgets are essential and where rules and regulations are enacted and enforced.

As the mother of two teenaged boys, Karen feels first-hand the harm that the government can inflict upon our public education and health care systems. For her children, she feels a responsibility to lead by example, to speak out against irresponsible government and to ensure a good quality of life for all Americans.

Karen now lives in El Cajon with her two remarkable sons to whom she stresses the importance of education and good citizenship. Both of her siblings and their families also live in El Cajon and her grandfather lives in La Mesa in the same home he's lived in for fifty years.

Karen Marie Otter is determined, disciplined and dedicated to reforming our government. She believes government restrictions have their place but not in our bedrooms, in our bodies or in our thoughts.

She will never back down or be silenced.