Karen Kroft (D-MI) is a Democrat and former member of the House of Representatives. She lost her seat in the 2002 election by a narrow margin after she introduced a bill for a higher gas tax at the request of President Bartlet, and to make it up to her, the administration planned to offer her the Chair of the National Parks Service; however, the president signed a new Parks bill including an amendment that made the directorship Senate-confirmable, and Karen had made too many enemies on the Hill to be confirmed.
Toby Ziegler, who had pushed for Karen to introduce the bill, was outraged by the number of jobs in the federal government that were now Senate-confirmable as well as by the administration's failure to support the representatives who at their request floated unpopular policies in the House and subsequently lost reelection. Karen, however, understood and believed she made the right call. She took comfort in her Christian faith and offered Toby tickets to an Eagles game.