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'''John Neely Kennedy''' (born November 21, 1951) is an [[attorney]] and [[politician]] who is the junior [[United States Senator]] from [[Louisiana]], with service since January 3, 2017. A former [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] who switched parties in 2007, he was his state's treasurer from 2000 to 2017. Kennedy's 2016 landslide victory for the Senate over the Democrat Foster Lonnie Campbell, Jr., of Bossier Parish was in sharp contrast to the two losing races that he had made for the Senate in 2004 as a Democrat against [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[David Vitter]] and in 2008 as a Republican against Democratic Senator [[Mary Landrieu]]. When Vitter did not seek a third term in the Senate in 2016, after he lost a race for [[governor]] in 2015 to the Democrat [[John Bel Edwards]], Kennedy launched his third bid for the position. He had mended fences with Vitter, whom he supported in the gubernatorial race, and Vitter backed Kennedy as his successor.

'''John Neely Kennedy''' (born November 21, 1951) is an [[attorney]] and [[politician]] who is the junior [[United States Senator]] from [[Louisiana]], with service since January 3, 2017. A former [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] who switched parties in 2007, he was his state's treasurer from 2000 to 2017.  

 

Kennedy's 2016 landslide victory for the Senate over the Democrat Foster Lonnie Campbell, Jr., of Bossier Parish was in sharp contrast to the two losing races that he had made for the Senate in 2004 as a Democrat against [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[David Vitter]] and in 2008 as a Republican against Democratic Senator [[Mary Landrieu]]. When Vitter did not seek a third term in the Senate in 2016, after he lost a race for [[governor]] in 2015 to the Democrat [[John Bel Edwards]], Kennedy launched his third bid for the position. He had mended fences with Vitter, whom he supported in the gubernatorial race, and Vitter backed Kennedy as his successor.

In 1988, Kennedy first entered politics as the special legal counsel for incoming Governor [[Buddy Roemer]], a Democrat who switched parties in 1991. He returned to the private practice of law until 1996, when Governor [[Mike Foster]], another Democrat-turned-Republican, appointed Kennedy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue.<ref>Ron Gomez, ''My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative'', ([[Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]]: Zemog Publishing, 2000), isbn=0-9700156-0-7, p. 247</ref>

In 1988, Kennedy first entered politics as the special legal counsel for incoming Governor [[Buddy Roemer]], a Democrat who switched parties in 1991. He returned to the private practice of law until 1996, when Governor [[Mike Foster]], another Democrat-turned-Republican, appointed Kennedy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue.<ref>Ron Gomez, ''My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative'', ([[Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]]: Zemog Publishing, 2000), isbn=0-9700156-0-7, p. 247</ref>