[1] A former telephone worker with Ohio Bell and later AT&T, Key initially ran for the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000 to succeed Troy Lee James, who had held the seat for 34 years and no longer could run due to term limits.
By her second term, Key was serving as the ranking Democratic member on the Ethics and Elections Committee.
In 2006, Key opted to forgo another term in the House to run for the Ohio Senate in an open seat.
However, with the seat being incredibly Democratic, she faced a contentious primary against Shirley Smith and Claudette Woodard.
[2] Following her defeat, Key returned to Cleveland and remains active in the community.