Denise Majette - Definition and Overview

Denise L. Majette (born May 18, 1955) is a Democratic U.S. politician from the state of Georgia.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, she attended Yale University and completed a law degree at Duke University in 1979. A resident of Georgia since 1983, Majette was appointed by Governor Zell Miller to the State Court of DeKalb County in 1993. She resigned from the judgeship in 2002 to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Georgia's fourth Congressional district, defeating incumbent Rep. Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic primary.

In 2004 Majette decided not to run for re-election, but rather to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Zell Miller. Having won the primary election and runoff, Majette faced Johnny Isakson in the general election on November 2, 2004, but was defeated. She was both the first African-American and the first woman to be nominated for the U.S. Senate in Georgia. McKinney is the Democratic nominee for her old U.S. House district.

Majette is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

External link

• Official Website (http://www.house.gov/majette/)