John Kennedy (Louisiana politician)
John Kennedy | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017 | |
| United States Senator from Louisiana | |
| 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 | John Schroder |
| Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue | |
| In office January 8, 1996 – April 30, 1999 | |
| Governor | Mike Foster |
| Preceded by | Leon R. Tarver II |
| Succeeded by | Brett Crawford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Neely Kennedy November 21, 1951 Centreville, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (since 2007) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 2007) |
| Spouse |
Rebecca Stulb (m. 1990) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Vanderbilt University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) Magdalen College, Oxford (BCL) |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
John Neely Kennedy (born November 21, 1951) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from Louisiana since 2017. A Republican, he served as the Louisiana State Treasurer from 2000 to 2017, as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue from 1996 to 1999,[1] and as special counsel and then cabinet member to Governor Buddy Roemer from 1988 to 1992.[1] He is not related to President John F. Kennedy.[2]
Born in Centreville, Mississippi, Kennedy graduated from Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia School of Law before attending Oxford for an additional degree in law. In 1988, Governor Buddy Roemer selected Kennedy to serve as special legal counsel and later appointed him Secretary of the Cabinet.[3] He left Roemer's staff in 1991 to unsuccessfully run for state attorney general as a Democrat. In 1999, he was elected state treasurer; he was reelected 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 switched parties and became a Republican.
In 2016, when U.S. Senator David Vitter opted not to seek reelection, Kennedy ran for Senate again. He finished first in the November nonpartisan blanket primary and defeated Democrat Foster Campbell 61%–39% in the December runoff. He was sworn in on January 3, 2017. Kennedy was one of six Republican senators to object to the certification of Arizona's electors in the 2020 presidential election. In 2022, Kennedy was reelected to the U.S. Senate,[4] defeating 12 opponents with 62% of the vote in the first round.[5] Kennedy won every parish except Orleans Parish in his 2022 reelection.[6]
- ^ a b Bridges, Tyler (November 14, 2022). "John Kennedy says he is seriously considering race for governor, releases poll". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ "How Americans evaluate JFK, RFK Jr., their relatives — and other unrelated Kennedys | YouGov". today.yougov.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ Deslatte, Melinda. "Louisiana governor's race surprise: Sen. Kennedy won't run". Houma Today. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ "Sen. John Kennedy launches 2022 re-election bid: 'I will not let you down. I'd rather drink weed killer.'". foxnews.com. June 2021. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State Official Results Tues Nov 8 2022". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 9, 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "John Kennedy (R) won the race for Louisiana Senate". Politico. Retrieved August 25, 2023.