{{Short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Joy Koesten | image = | caption = | office = Member of the <br>Kansas House of Representatives<br> from the 28th district | term_start = January 9, 2017 | term_end = January 14, 2019 | predecessor = Jerry Lunn | successor = Kellie Warren | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|12|30}} | birth_place = Springfield, Missouri, US | party = Democratic (2018–present) | other_party = Republican (before 2018) }}
'''Joy Koesten''' (born December 30, 1954) is an American politician who served in the Kansas House of Representatives from the 28th district from 2017 to 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kcjc.com/index.php/current-news/latest-news/4110-from-candidate-to-legislator-koesten-prepares-to-begin-her-first-term-in-the-kansas-house-of-representatives |title=From candidate to legislator: Koesten prepares to begin her first term in the Kansas House of Representatives |publisher=Kansas City Jewish Chronicle |date=2017-01-05 |accessdate=2019-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121123331/http://www.kcjc.com/index.php/current-news/latest-news/4110-from-candidate-to-legislator-koesten-prepares-to-begin-her-first-term-in-the-kansas-house-of-representatives |archive-date=January 21, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/members/rep_koesten_joy_1/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907230154/http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/members/rep_koesten_joy_1/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-09-07 |title=Representative Joy Koesten |publisher=Kansas Legislature |date= |accessdate=2019-01-21}}</ref>
Joy Koesten and her husband launched a campaign to fund an Endowed Professorship in Developmental and Behavioral Health at Children’s Mercy Hospital supporting research into adolescent depression and suicide prevention.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shawneemissionpost.com/2019/05/08/briefly-noted-childrens-mercy-receives-endowment-to-research-adolescent-depression-suicide-prevention-79136|title=Briefly Noted: Children's Mercy receives endowment to research adolescent depression, suicide prevention|last=Wankum|first=Leah|date=2019-05-08|website=Shawnee Mission Post - Community news and events for northeast Johnson County|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-23}}</ref>
On August 7, 2018, she was defeated in the Republican primary for the 28th district by Kellie Warren.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article216293205.html |title=Conservatives win, oust Koesten, Markley in GOP primaries |publisher=Kansas City Star |last=Marso |first=Andy |date=2018-08-08 |accessdate=2019-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105200921/https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article216293205.html |archive-date=January 5, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> On December 13, 2018, she announced she was changing her party affiliation from Republican to Democratic.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas/articles/2018-12-14/outgoing-lawmaker-switching-from-gop-to-democratic-party |title=Outgoing Lawmaker Switching From GOP to Democratic Party |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |date=2018-12-14 |accessdate=2019-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121121833/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas/articles/2018-12-14/outgoing-lawmaker-switching-from-gop-to-democratic-party |archive-date=January 21, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Joy had announced that she will run for the Kansas Senate 11 Seat in the Overland Park/Leawood area on September 15, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sunflowerstatejournal.com/sunday-reader-koesten-returns-capps-gets-opponent/|title=Sunday Reader: Koesten returns; Capps gets opponent {{!}} Sunflower State Journal|last=Cooper|first=Brad|website=sunflowerstatejournal.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-23}}</ref> She was defeated by Republican Kellie Warren, by a vote of 52.7%, to Koesten's 47.3%.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Joy Koesten|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Joy_Koesten|access-date=2021-04-07|website=Ballotpedia|language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koesten, Joy}} Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the Kansas House of Representatives Category:Women state legislators in Kansas Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Kansas Republicans Category:Kansas Democrats Category:21st-century members of the Kansas Legislature