{{Short description|American politician and businessman}} {{for|the American rower|Kevin Cotter (rower)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Kevin Cotter |image = |office = 72nd Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives |term_start = January 14, 2015 |term_end = January 1, 2017 |predecessor = Jase Bolger |successor = Tom Leonard |state_house1 = Michigan |district1 = 99th |term_start1 = January 1, 2011 |term_end1 = January 1, 2017 |predecessor1 = Bill Caul |successor1 = Roger Hauck |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|9|26}} |birth_place = Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = Republican |spouse = Jennifer Cotter |alma_mater = Central Michigan University (B.S., M.S)<br />WMU Cooley Law School (J.D.) }} '''Kevin M. Cotter'''<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.martindale.com/mount-pleasant/michigan/kevin-m-cotter-168873760-a/| title = Kevin M. Cotter Profile {{!}} Mount Pleasant, MI Lawyer {{!}} Martindale.com}}</ref> (born September 26, 1977) is an American politician who represented the 99th District in the Michigan House of Representatives.<ref name=wins>[http://www.cm-life.com/2010/11/03/cotter-declares-victory-in-state-rep-race-sessoms-disputes-declarations-cites-lack-of-results "Cotter wins state representative race; looks forward to 'getting work done' in Lansing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001001737/http://www.cm-life.com/2010/11/03/cotter-declares-victory-in-state-rep-race-sessoms-disputes-declarations-cites-lack-of-results/ |date=October 1, 2011 }}, ''Central Michigan Life'', November 3, 2010.</ref> He is a member of the Michigan Republican Party.<ref name=wins/> He worked as an attorney in Mt. Pleasant before winning election to the state House in 2010. After serving as chair of the House Judiciary Committee and vice chair of the Elections and Ethics Committee, in November 2014 he was selected by the Republican caucus to serve as Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives for the 2015-16 legislative session.<ref name="mlive"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themorningsun.com/general-news/20141106/cotter-is-house-speaker-leonard-speaker-pro-tem|title=Cotter is House speaker; Leonard speaker pro-tem|work=The Morning Sun|author=Rick Mills|date=November 6, 2014|access-date=November 6, 2014|archive-date=November 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109194358/http://www.themorningsun.com/general-news/20141106/cotter-is-house-speaker-leonard-speaker-pro-tem|url-status=dead}}</ref> On September 8, 2016, a federal lawsuit was filed against Representative Cotter (and numerous other defendants) by former State Representative Todd Courser.<ref name="mlive"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.mlive.com/grpress/news_impact/other/courser.pdf|title=Courser Complaint|work=MLive|author=John Agar|date=September 9, 2016}}</ref>
==Personal life== Cotter is a graduate of Shepherd High School and holds a bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration, as well as a Master's of Science in Administration, both from Central Michigan University. He also earned a Juris Doctor degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.<ref name="mlive">[http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/11/meet_the_next_michigan_speaker.html "Meet Michigan's next House Speaker: Kevin Cotter wants to 'continue momentum' with GOP majority"], mlive.com; accessed January 2, 2015.</ref>
==Electoral history== {{Election box begin|title=Michigan's 99th state House of Representatives District Republican Primary, 2010<ref>{{cite news|url=http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/10PRI/ |title=2010 Michigan Election Results 99th District Representative in State Legislature 2 Year Term (1) Position |work=Michigan Secretary of State |date=February 29, 2016 |access-date=June 17, 2016}}</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link | party = Republican Party (US) | candidate = '''Kevin Cotter''' | votes = 6,108 | percentage = 60.7 | change = N/A }} {{Election box candidate with party link | party = Republican Party (US) | candidate = Christine Alwood | votes = 3,960 | percentage = 39.3 | change = N/A }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin |title=Michigan's 99th state House of Representatives District General Election, 2010<ref>{{cite news|url=http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/10GEN/#08099000 |title=2010 Michigan Election Results 99th District Representative in State Legislature 2 Year Term (1) Position |work=Michigan Secretary of State |date=February 22, 2016 |access-date=June 17, 2016}}</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link | | party = Republican Party (US) | candidate = Kevin Cotter | votes = 16,647 | percentage = 64.4 | change = +10.0 }} {{Election box candidate with party link | | party = Democratic Party (US) | candidate = Toni Sessoms | votes = 9,202 | percentage = 35.6 | change = -7.0 }} {{Election box hold with party link without swing| |winner = Republican Party (US) }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin |title=Michigan's 99th state House of Representatives District General Election, 2012<ref>{{cite news|url=http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/12GEN/#08099000 |title=2012 Michigan Election Results 99th District Representative in State Legislature 2 Year Term (1) Position |work=Michigan Secretary of State |date=February 22, 2016 |access-date=June 17, 2016}}</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link | | party = Republican Party (US) | candidate = Kevin Cotter (I) | votes = 18,150 | percentage = 57.4 | change = -7.0 }} {{Election box candidate with party link | | party = Democratic Party (US) | candidate = Adam Lawrence | votes = 13,468 | percentage = 42.6 | change = +7.0 }} {{Election box hold with party link without swing| |winner = Republican Party (US) }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin |title=Michigan's 99th state House of Representatives District General Election, 2014<ref>{{cite news|url=http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/14GEN/#08099000 |title=2014 Michigan Election Results 99th District Representative in State Legislature 2 Year Term (1) Position |work=Michigan Secretary of State |date=February 22, 2016 |access-date=June 17, 2016}}</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link | | party = Republican Party (US) | candidate = Kevin Cotter (I) | votes = 11,347 | percentage = 51.5 | change = -5.9 }} {{Election box candidate with party link | | party = Democratic Party (US) | candidate = Bryan Mielke | votes = 10,676 | percentage = 48.5 | change = +5.9 }} {{Election box hold with party link without swing| |winner = Republican Party (US) }} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{MIHouseSpeakers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotter, Kevin}} Category:Businesspeople from Michigan Category:Central Michigan University alumni Category:Living people Category:Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Category:Michigan lawyers Category:People from Mount Pleasant, Michigan Category:Western Michigan University Cooley Law School alumni Category:21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature Category:1977 births
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