Senator John Neely Kennedy is an American lawyer and politician. Yet, he is not related to American’s 35th president, John F. Kennedy or the Kennedy family in any way. He has been serving as a junior U.S. Senator from Louisiana under the Democrats since 2017. He was also the state treasurer from 2000 to 2017.
Kennedy was born in Centreville, Mississippi, on November 21, 1951. But, he was raised in Zachary, Louisiana, north of Baton Rouge. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in 1973. He studied philosophy, political science, and economics. He earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1977.
While at the University of Virginia, Senator John Kennedy was the executive editor of the Virginia Law Review. He was also elected to the Order of the Coif.
He later graduated with first-class honors in Civil Law at the University of Oxford, England, in 1979. Subsequently, he returned to Louisiana, where he began to practice. He worked as a partner at a law firm, Chaffe McCall. He also taught at the Louisiana State University Law Center from 2002 to 2016.
Senator John Kennedy Career
Senator John Kennedy started his political career as a special counsel to Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer. In 1991, he was appointed as secretary to the cabinet of the governor till 1992.
In 1991, he ran for the seat of the state attorney general after William Guste’s retirement. But, he lost the election to the Republican nominee.
Afterward, Senator John Kennedy returned to practicing law till 1996. In 1996, Roemer appointed him as the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue.
Three years later, Kennedy was elected as the State Treasurer in Louisiana and assumed office in 2000. He was elected again in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015
Senator John Kennedy Accomplishments
During his service as the State Treasurer, Kennedy ran unsuccessfully for the seat of the U.S. Senate in 2004. Then, he was a Democrat. But, Kennedy denounced his Democratic membership in 2007. He switched to the Republican party and ran again for the seat in the U.S. Senate. Unfortunately, he was defeated again in 2008.
In 2016, Kennedy announced his interest to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate for the third time. The announcement came after Senator Vitter announced his retirement from the U.S. Senate. Fortunately for him, former President Trump also campaigned for him. He won the election after defeating Democrat nominee Foster Campbell.
Regarded as a conservative politician, Kennedy has made little but significant legislative strides. He worked on the promotion and protection of human and animal rights. He filed a bill to stop airlines from putting animals in overhead bins in 2018.
His administration also fostered promoting equal rights to the internet. He was one of the senators that voted to overturn the repeal of net neutrality.
He is a pro-gun rights advocator. The National Rifle Association endorsed him with an A rating from
Senator John Kennedy Criticisms
Senator Kennedy is a renowned and controversial figure on news and social media. Kennedy is known for his several conspiracy theories about the 2016 election. In 2019, Kennedy made comments about Ukraine’s involvement in the 2016 elections. After some days, he receded on his statement and accused Russia instead.
He also accused Facebook of choosing flagrant BS over effective and truthful journalism. He mentioned that in a senate hearing on Facebook’s Lira cryptocurrency.
In 2020, Kennedy was among 11 Republican senators who declared their intention to vote against certification of electoral votes. But, the whole process eventually incited a riot at the U.S. Capitol