Keith Butler

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For the football player of the same name, see Keith Butler (American football).

Keith Butler is the founding pastor of the nondenominational Word of Faith International Christian Center (WOFICC) Church in suburban Detroit, which has a 22,000+-member congregation. He is a former Detroit City councilman, and the only Republican elected to the council since before World War II.

Butler has written several books, including a popular church best-seller, A Seed Will Meet Any Need. He has also obtained several awards for both church and community services. One of the many was "2005 Inductee- Heritage Hall of Fame" for international cultural excellence. He is also well-known for setting up satellite churches from San Francisco to Brazil to the UK, numbering well over 300.

Butler, who was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, became a Republican in 1982, and has been a GOP activist for Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush in presidential campaigns in Michigan.

Butler has been married to the former Deborah Bell for 31 years. They have three adult children (Keith II., Michelle, and Kristina), two of whom now work in their father's church. The other works for the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C. They have two granddaughters.

In February 2008, Butler replaced Chuck Yob as the new Republican national committeeman from Michigan.

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[edit] Controversies

Controversies include:

  • his wealth, equal to most business executives of corporations, even comparable to the salaries of those on Wall Street; according to the Detroit Free Press (2005), Butler made nearly $1.2 million in salary, honoraria, and monetary gifts; he resides in a million-dollar suburban Oakland County mansion. The Word of Faith Christian Center also has a Lear Jet registered to its name with the tail number N711PC that routinely flys from Cobb County Airport in Georgia to Oakland County Intl in Pontiac Michigan.

[edit] 2006 U.S. Senate campaign

Main article: Michigan U.S. Senate election, 2006

Butler sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Debbie Stabenow, in 2006. He lost the primary to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard on August 8.

Butler is pro-life and says he supports traditional family values. He has also advocated more funding for fire and police departments. A number of major Republican figures in the state have endorsed his run.

[edit] Electoral history

  • 2006 Race for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary

[edit] External links