John Kennedy (Louisiana politician)

John Neely Kennedy (born November 21, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who is serving as the junior United States Senator from Louisiana since 2017. A Democrat turned Republican, he previously served as the Louisiana State Treasurer from 2000 to 2017.

This article is about the U.S. Senator from Louisiana. For the 35th President of the United States, see John F. Kennedy. For other people with the same name, see John Kennedy (disambiguation).

John Kennedy
United States senator from Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2017 Serving with Bill Cassidy
Preceded by	David Vitter
Treasurer of Louisiana
In office January 10, 2000 – January 3, 2017
Governor	Mike Foster Kathleen Blanco Bobby Jindal John Bel Edwards
Preceded by	Ken Duncan
Succeeded by	Ron Henson (Acting)
Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue
In office 1996–1999
Governor	Mike Foster
Succeeded by	Brett Crawford[1]
Personal details
Born	John Neely Kennedy (1951-11-21) November 21, 1951 Centreville, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party	Republican (2007–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 2007)
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Stulb
Children	1
Education	Vanderbilt University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) Magdalen College, Oxford (BCL)
Website	Senate website

Born in Centreville, Mississippi, Kennedy graduated from Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia School of Law before attending Magdalen College at the University of Oxford. Kennedy was a member of the staff of Governor Buddy Roemer before unsuccessfully running as the Democratic candidate for state attorney general in 1991. In 1999, he was elected Louisiana State Treasurer; he was re-elected to that position in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015. Kennedy was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate in 2004 and 2008. In 2007, he became a Republican.

In 2016, when U.S. Senator David Vitter opted not to seek re-election, Kennedy once again ran for U.S. Senate. He finished in first place in the November nonpartisan blanket primary and went on to defeat Democrat Foster Campbell 61–39% in the December runoff before being sworn in on January 3, 2017.

Background

The Mississippi-born Kennedy was raised in Zachary, Louisiana in East Baton Rouge Parish. After graduating from Zachary High School as co-valedictorian in 1969, Kennedy entered Vanderbilt University where his interdepartmental major was in political science, philosophy and economics. He graduated magna cum laude.

At Vanderbilt, he was elected president of his senior class and named to Phi Beta Kappa. After Vanderbilt, Kennedy received a J.D. degree in 1977 from the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the University of Virginia School of Law, he was an executive editor of the Virginia Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.[2] In 1979, he earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first class honours from Oxford University (Magdalen College) in England, where he studied under Sir Rupert Cross and John H.C. Morris.[3][4]

He has written and published the following books and articles: Louisiana State Constitutional Law (LSU Publications Institute, Jan. 1, 2012), The Dimension of Time in the Louisiana Products Liability Act (42 Louisiana Bar Journal, Jan. 1, 1994), The Role of the Consumer Expectation Test Under Louisiana's Products Liability Doctrine (69 Tulane Law Review 117, Jan. 1, 1994), A Primer on the Louisiana Products Liability Act (49 Louisiana Law Review 565, Jan. 1, 1989), Assumption of the Risk, Comparative Fault and Strict Liability After Rozell (47 Louisiana Law Review 791, Jan. 1, 1987) and The Federal Power Commission, Job Bias, and NAACP v. FPC (10 Akron Law Review 556, Jan. 1, 1977).

He was a partner in the Chaffe McCall law firm in New Orleans. He also served as an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center in Baton Rouge from 2002 to 2016.[5]

Political career

In 1988, Kennedy became special counsel to then-Democratic Governor Buddy Roemer.[6] In 1991, he was appointed cabinet secretary and served in that post until 1992. In 1991, he was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for state attorney general to succeed the retiring William J. Guste.[7]

Following his first stint in state government, Kennedy returned to the private practice of law until 1996. That same year, he was appointed Secretary of the state Department of Revenue in the cabinet of Republican Governor Mike Foster.[8]

Treasurer of Louisiana

Kennedy at the Natchitoches Christmas Parade in 2014

Kennedy left the Foster administration when he was elected Louisiana State Treasurer in 1999, having unseated incumbent Democrat Ken Duncan, 621,796 (55.6 percent) to 497,319 (44.4 percent).[9] Kennedy was re-elected Treasurer without opposition in 2003, 2007 and 2011.[10] In 2015, he defeated his single opponent challenger with 80 percent of the vote.

In the 2004 election, Kennedy endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry over George W. Bush.[11]

After being courted by the Republican Party for months, Kennedy announced in a letter to his constituents that he was leaving the Democratic Party and joining the Republicans, effective August 27, 2007. In his letter, he announced that he would run again for State Treasurer.[12]

During the State Treasurer's term to which he was elected in 2007, Kennedy devised a twenty-four-point plan by which the state could save money.[13] Governor Bobby Jindal said Kennedy could "streamline" his own department. Many of Kennedy's ideas were derived from the Louisiana Commission for Streamlining Government, which he served on in his official capacity as State Treasurer.[14]

U.S. Senate

Elections

Main articles: 2004 United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2008 United States Senate election in Louisiana, and 2016 United States Senate election in Louisiana

Then-President-elect Donald Trump and Kennedy campaigning in Baton Rouge

In 2004, Kennedy campaigned for the United States Senate seat held by John Breaux, who retired from elected office. Kennedy ran as a Democrat in the state's jungle primary, losing to Republican David Vitter and Democrat Chris John.[15] Vitter won the election in the primary.[16][17]

Kennedy ran for the U.S. Senate again in 2008, this time as a Republican. He was defeated, 52.1 to 45.7 percent, by incumbent Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu; the same year, Republican presidential nominee John McCain defeated Barack Obama in Louisiana, but Obama was elected nationwide.[18][19]

On January 26, 2016, Kennedy announced that he would run for the U.S. Senate for a third time. In seeking to succeed the retiring David Vitter, he faced more than twenty opponents.[20] Vitter announced his retirement from the Senate in 2015 after losing a bid for governor to the Democrat John Bel Edwards.[21]

Kennedy's senatorial campaign was endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Rifle Association, the National Right to Life Committee, the American Conservative Union, Vice President-elect Mike Pence and President-elect Donald Trump.[22][23] Kennedy, who had supported Vitter for governor the previous year, won the jungle primary and faced Democrat Foster Campbell in a December 10 runoff election. President-elect Donald Trump—who had received Kennedy's support in the 2016 presidential election[24]—campaigned for Kennedy the day before the runoff election.[25] Kennedy defeated Campbell, 536,204 (61 percent) to 347,813 (39 percent), in the runoff election. Kennedy lost the largest populated parishes of Orleans and East Baton Rouge, in which he had been reared, but he was a runaway winner in Campbell's home parish of Bossier.[26]

Tenure

Kennedy was sworn in as Louisiana's junior U.S. Senator on January 3, 2017.

In June 2017, Kennedy grilled Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in a hearing before the Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Service, Education and Related Agencies. In the exchange, he contrasted the lack of school choice available for younger pupils in many rural areas of the country to the widespread brands of mayonnaise available on the grocery store shelf: "Now I can go down to my overpriced Capitol Hill grocery this afternoon and choose among about six different types of mayonnaise. How come I can't do that for my kid?" Kennedy said. The remark attracted national attention. DeVos replied that the Trump administration budget proposal would give parents and students more power and opportunity so that American education could again become "the envy of the world."[27]

Kennedy has attracted comment for his manner in the Senate. The Huffington Post reported: "Since being elected to the Senate a year ago, Kennedy ... has made a name for himself on Capitol Hill with his wit, humor and penchant for folksy expressions ― a notable feat in a place where jargon and arcane procedure tend to reign supreme".[28]

In the months leading up to the 2019 election, Kennedy was mentioned as a prospective candidate for governor in the nonpartisan blanket primary against Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards. But on December 3, 2018, Kennedy announced that he would not run for governor, and said that he preferred to remain in the Senate.[29]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Chairmen)
• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Economic Policy
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
  • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
  • Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Caucuses

• Senate Republican Conference

Political positions

Senator Kennedy was one of six senators to earn the title “Taxpayer Super Hero” with a perfect score of 100 percent in 2019, according to the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, a group that identifies members of Congress with a record of voting to protect taxpayer dollars.[30]

Senator John Kennedy received a D 62% Liberty Score by Conservative Review.[31] He holds a lifetime score of 67% from Heritage Action for America.

Animal rights

Senator Kennedy stated he would be filing a bill to "prohibit airlines from putting animals in overhead bins" following the death of a dog in an overhead bin while flying United Airlines during March 2018.[32] He said, "officials would face significant fines" if noncompliant.[33] In March 2018, Kennedy introduced the Welfare Of Our Furry Friends (WOOFF) Act, but the bill died in committee.[34]

Abortion

Kennedy is "strongly opposed" to abortion.[35]

Gun law

Kennedy has an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA), which endorsed him during his 2016 Senate run. He is very close to former NRA president Wayne LaPierre.[36][37]

Judicial nominees

Kennedy bucked party lines to oppose the appointment of three of U.S. President Donald Trump's U.S. District Court judicial nominees whom Kennedy believed were not qualified for the positions. They were Jeff Mateer, Brett Talley, and Matthew S. Petersen. All three nominations were withdrawn by the White House.[38] On December 13, 2017, during Peterson's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kennedy questioned Petersen about basic legal procedure,[39] asking if he knew what the Daubert standard was, and what a motion in limine was? Peterson struggled to answer.[40][41] Kennedy also voted against the nomination of Gregory G. Katsas to the D.C. Circuit, though the nomination was still confirmed.[42]

Criminal justice

He opposed the FIRST STEP Act. The bill passed 87–12 on December 18, 2018.[43]

Net neutrality

John Kennedy introduced a bill on March 7, 2018, that would "prohibit companies like Comcast and Verizon from blocking or throttling web content.".[44] Kennedy was one of three Republican senators, alongside Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who voted with the entirety of the Democratic caucus on May 16, 2018, to overturn the FCC's repeal of net neutrality.

Foreign policy

In April 2018, Kennedy was one of eight Republican senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin and acting Secretary of State John Sullivan expressing "deep concern" over a report by the United Nations exposing "North Korean sanctions evasion involving Russia and China" and asserting that the findings "demonstrate an elaborate and alarming military-venture between rogue, tyrannical states to avoid United States and international sanctions and inflict terror and death upon thousands of innocent people" while calling it "imperative that the United States provides a swift and appropriate response to the continued use of chemical weapons used by President Assad and his forces, and works to address the shortcomings in sanctions enforcement."[45]

In January 2019, Kennedy was one of eleven Republican senators to vote to advance legislation intended to block President Trump's intent to lift sanctions against three Russian companies.[46]

Personal life

Kennedy resides in Madisonville in St. Tammany Parish outside New Orleans with his wife, Becky, and son, Preston. He is a founding member of, and attends, North Cross United Methodist Church in Madisonville.[5] He is not related to the Kennedy family of Massachusetts.[47]

Electoral history

Louisiana United States Senate election, 2004

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	David Vitter	943,014	51.03%
	Democratic	Chris John	542,150	29.34%
	Democratic	John Kennedy	275,821	14.92%
	Democratic	Arthur A. Morrell	47,222	2.56%
	Independent	Richard M. Fontanesi	15,097	0.82%
	Independent	R. A. "Skip" Galan	12,463	0.67%
	Democratic	Sam Houston Melton, Jr.	12,289	0.66%
Majority			400,864	21.69%
Turnout			1,848,056
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

Louisiana United States Senate election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Mary Landrieu (incumbent)	988,298	52.11%	+0.41%
	Republican	John Kennedy	867,177	45.72%	-2.58%
	Libertarian	Richard Fontanesi	18,590	0.98%	n/a
	Independent	Jay Patel	13,729	0.72%	n/a
	Independent	Robert Stewart	8,780	0.46%	n/a
Majority			121,121	6.39%	+2.99
Turnout			1,896,574	100.0%
	Democratic hold		Swing

2016 Louisiana US Senate blanket primary[48]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Kennedy	482,591	25.0%
	Democratic	Foster Campbell	337,833	17.5%
	Republican	Charles Boustany	298,008	15.4%
	Democratic	Caroline Fayard	240,917	12.5%
	Republican	John Fleming	204,026	10.6%
	Republican	Rob Maness	90,856	4.7%
	Republican	David Duke	58,606	3.0%
	Democratic	Derrick Edwards	51,774	2.7%
	Democratic	Gary Landrieu	45,587	2.4%
	Republican	Donald "Crawdaddy" Crawford	25,523	1.3%
	Republican	Joseph Cao	21,019	1.1%
	No party	Beryl Billiot	19,352	1.0%
	Libertarian	Thomas Clements	11,370	0.6%
	No party	Troy Hebert	9,503	0.5%
	Democratic	Josh Pellerin	7,395	0.4%
	Democratic	Peter Williams	6,855	0.4%
	Democratic	Vinny Mendoza	4,927	0.3%
	No party	Kaitlin Marone	4,108	0.2%
	Libertarian	Le Roy Gillam	4,067	0.2%
	Republican	Charles Marsala	3,684	0.2%
	Republican	Abhay Patel	1,576	0.1%
	No party	Arden Wells	1,483	0.1%
	Other	Bob Lang	1,424	0.1%
	Other	Gregory Taylor	1,151	0.1%
Total	1,933,635	100.0%

United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2016[49]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	John Kennedy	536,191	60.65%	+4.09%
	Democratic	Foster Campbell	347,816	39.35%	+1.68%
Total votes			'884,007'	'100.0%'	N/A
	Republican hold

See also

• Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal
• List of American politicians who switched parties in office
• Veracity of statements by Donald Trump

References

1. http://rev.louisiana.gov/NewsAndPublications/NewsReleaseDetails/28
2. "The First Year Senator". University of Virginia School of Law. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
3. "Southeastern Louisiana University FACULTY SENATE Meeting Minutes" (PDF).
4. Biography of Treasurer John Neely Kennedy profile Archived November 27, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, treasury.state.la.us; accessed November 18, 2016.
5. "About Treasurer Kennedy". Louisiana Department of the Treasury. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
6. "Roemer is no-show for opening session", Minden Press-Herald, April 7, 1991, p. 1
7. [e-mail], TYLER BRIDGES. "Here's the secret to John N. Kennedy's U.S. Senate win".
8. Ron Gomez, My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative, Lafayette, Louisiana: Zemog Publishing, 2000, p. 247; ISBN 0-9700156-0-7
9. "Louisiana election returns for state treasurer". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 23, 1999. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
10. [e-mail], WILL SENTELL. "Louisiana state treasurer John Kennedy hopes third time is charm in U.S. Senate bid".
11. "Folksy John Kennedy gets serious pushback on Ukraine mess". POLITICO. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
12. Treasurer Bolts to GOP, nola.com; accessed November 18, 2016 Archived April 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
13. Kennedy elaborated the plan in many venues across the state. See § III of the following: Ramsey, David (February 9, 2011). "Guest Presentation by State Treasurer John Neely Kennedy" (PDF). Southeastern Louisiana University Faculty Senate Minutes. Retrieved October 8, 2011. A particular focus of Kennedy's cost-saving ideas was reduction in the hiring of consultants.
14. "Michelle Milhollin, "Jindal slashes funding for state treasurer: Jindal's 'streamlining' efforts trim critics' funding"". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
15. "USATODAY.com – Vitter avoids runoff, first Louisiana Republican to Senate". usatoday30.usatoday.com.
16. Moller, Jan. "Treasurer bolts to GOP". The Times Picayune. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
17. "Official Election Results Results for Election Date: 11/2/2004". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
18. "Louisiana election results". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
19. Huetteman, Emmarie (February 17, 2017). "Today's Senator John Kennedy Is From Louisiana" – via NYTimes.com.
20. Rainey, Richard. "Treasurer John Kennedy enters Senate race to succeed David Vitter". NOLA.com. The Time Picayune. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
21. Richardson, Bradford. "Vitter announces Senate retirement after losing La. gubernatorial race". The Hill. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
22. "U.S. Chamber of Commerce Endorses Kennedy for Senate". Retrieved April 15, 2017.
23. "Trump, Pence Endorse Louisiana GOP Senate Candidate John Kennedy Ahead of Runoff". December 3, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
24. Deslatte, Melinda. "Louisiana's Republican Senate U.S. candidates stick with Trump". Daily Comet. Retrieved November 25, 2016 – via Associated Press.
25. "Donald Trump campaigns in Baton Rouge, this time for Senate candidate John Kennedy".
26. "Election Results by Parish – Official Results for Election Date: 12/10/2016 – U. S. Senator". Louisiana Secretary of State. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
27. Deborah Barfield Berry (June 6, 2017). "La. senator brings up mayonnaise during education hearing". USA Today. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
28. "Meet The Folksiest Man In The U.S. Senate". January 25, 2018.
29. "Breaking: Kennedy won't run for governor". The Shreveport Times. December 3, 2018.
30. https://menafn.com/1100209951/Council-for-Citizens-Against-Government-Waste-Releases-2019-Congressional-Ratings
31. "Senator John Kennedy" (PDF). Retrieved December 13, 2018.
32. Anapol, Avery. "GOP senator opposed to gun control mocked for bill proposal after airline pet death". The Hill. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
33. Connolly, Griffin. "After Dog Dies On United Airlines Flight Sen. John Kennedy Proposes Bill". Roll Call. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
34. S.2556 - Welfare Of Our Furry Friends (WOOFF) Act Retrieved 20 May 2020.
35. "Republican John Kennedy wins Louisiana senate race in runoff election". CNBC. December 10, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
36. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
37. "New NRA Ad Urges Voters to Elect John Kennedy for U.S. Senate". NRA-ILA. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
38. ""The Daily 202: Why a Louisiana GOP senator keeps bringing down Trump judicial nominees"". Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
39. Bowden, John (December 14, 2017). "Dem senator bashes Trump judicial nominee over hearing testimony: 'Hoo-boy'". The Hill. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
40. Bromwich, Jonah Engel; Chokshi, Niraj (December 15, 2017). "Trump Judicial Nominee Attracts Scorn After Flopping in Hearing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
41. Hawkins, Derek (December 15, 2017). Trump judicial nominee fumbles basic questions about the law, The Washington Post, December 15, 2017 Retrieved April 2, 2020.
42. U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 115th Congress – 1st Session United States Senate Vote Summary: Vote Number 282, United States Senate, November 27, 2017, Retrieved April 2, 2020.
43. Levin, Marianne. "Senate approves Trump-backed criminal justice overhaul". Politico. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
44. Neidig, Harper. "GOP senator offers his own net neutrality bill". The Hill. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
45. "Key senators warn Trump of North Korea effort on Syria". The Hill. April 13, 2018.
46. "Senate advances measure bucking Trump on Russia sanctions". The Hill. January 15, 2019.
47. Mary Ann Akers (June 13, 2008). "The Sleuth – John Kennedy, a Politician By Any Other Name". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
48. "Official Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
49. https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical

External links

• Official US Senate website
• Campaign website
• John N. Kennedy at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Follow the Money – John Kennedy
  • 2007 2005 2003 1999 Louisiana Treasurer campaign contributions
• John Maginnis. Treasure the Moment, Gambit Weekly, March 13, 2001.

Party political offices
Vacant Title last held by Ken Duncan 1995	Democratic nominee for Treasurer of Louisiana 2003	Vacant Title next held by Derrick Edwards 2017
New title	Republican nominee for Treasurer of Louisiana 2007, 2011, 2015	Succeeded by John Schroder
Preceded by Suzanne Terrell	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Louisiana (Class 2) 2008	Succeeded by Bill Cassidy
Preceded by David Vitter	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Louisiana (Class 3) 2016	Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Ken Duncan	Treasurer of Louisiana 2000–2017	Succeeded by Ron Henson
U.S. Senate
Preceded by David Vitter	U.S. senator (Class 3) from Louisiana 2017–present Served alongside: Bill Cassidy	Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Kamala Harris	United States Senators by seniority 87th	Succeeded by Catherine Cortez Masto