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{{Infobox officeholder
|name=John Neely Kennedy
|image=John Kennedy.jpg
|office=Junior [[United States Senator]] from [[Louisiana]] 
|term_start=January 3, 2017
|term_end= 
|predecessor=[[David Vitter]]
|successor= 
|office2=Louisiana State Treasurer
|term_start2=January 10, 2000
|term_end2=January 3, 2017
|predecessor2=[[Ken Duncan (Louisiana politician)|Ken Duncan]]
|birth_date=November 21, 1951
|birth_place=Centreville, [[Mississippi]]
|residence=Madisonville, Louisiana
|death_date= 
|death_place= 
|resting_place=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-turned [[Republican Party|Republican]] (2007)
|spouse=Rebecca Stulb Kennedy
|children=Preston Kennedy
|religion=[[United Methodist]] 
|alma_mater=[[Vanderbilt University]]<br>[[University of Virginia]]<br>Magdalen College, Oxford
|website=kennedy.senate.gov
}}
'''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>

Though born in southwestern [[Mississippi]], Kennedy was reared in Zachary in East Baton Rouge Parish, near the capital city of [[Baton Rouge]]. He resides in Madisonville in St. Tammany Parish is [[suburb]]an [[New Orleans]], sixty-six miles from Baton Rouge.

Senator Kennedy endorsed his fellow St. Tammany Parish resident, Republican former state Representative [[John Schroder]] in the special election runoff held on November 18, 2017, to choose Kennedy's successor as state treasurer. Schroder won his race for treasurer.

==Consideration of gubernatorial candidacy in 2019==
In March 2018, Kennedy accused Democratic Governor [[John Bel Edwards]] of attempting to tax the state into prosperity. Kennedy said that believes Louisiana voters as a whole do believe there is a state fiscal crisis. Edwards' office disputed Kennedy's criticism and said the former state treasurer has no solutions for state financial problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_8524f6f0-2181-11e8-877a-6f530176b7d4.html|title=U.S. Sen. John Kennedy blisters Gov. John Bel Edwards, says voters doubt fiscal crisis|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Will Sentell|date=March 6, 2018|accessdate=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

In June 2018, Kennedy even called upon Governor John Bel Edwards to step down from his position and turn the office over to Lieutenant Governor [[Billy Nungesser]], a [[Moderate Republican]], who declined to support Edwards' 2019 Republican opponent, [[Eddie Rispone]]. Kennedy was critical of Edwards' repeated calling of special legislative sessions to obtain more tax increases to close a state budget deficit. Kennedy maintains spending must first be reduced before higher taxes should be considered. Edwards' office called Kennedy's demand "absurd."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_a5197e72-6e5c-11e8-a322-fff7ebf6289f.html|title=Sen. John Kennedy: John Bel Edwards should resign; governor's office says that's 'absurd' |publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=June 12, 2018|author=Elizabeth Crisp|accessdate=June 13, 2018}}</ref> Kennedy's opposition to Edwards drew the scrutiny of the [[liberal]] ''Baton Rouge Advocate'' newspaper, which claimed the U.S. senator is using his office as "a platform for politically absurd suggestions" and should instead "focus on what is really important to those that elected him. The  U. S. Senate, Kennedy's ostensible workplace, hasn't exactly been a model of accomplishment lately. If the senator is worried about the lack of political leadership these days, he should start by looking into the mirror."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/our_views/article_86570780-6e7e-11e8-b7ff-23a402c6376d.html|title=Our Views: John Kennedy worried about lack of leadership? He should look into the mirror (commentary)|publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=June 12, 2018|accessdate=June 13, 2018}}</ref>

In August 2018, Kennedy criticized Edwards in regard to criminal justice overhaul. Kennedy said that Edwards advocated a "soft approach" to dangerous prisoners. Kennedy noted that he had warned that early prison releases backed by Edwards would lead to murders: "it was inevitable." Kennedy said that Edwards "just thinks these guys are sick and confused. I think a lot of them are bad." Kennedy sent a letter to President Trump  outlining the senator's opposition to Edwards' criminal justice policies.<ref>{{cite web|url=
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_d433d0f0-99b7-11e8-accd-27e2a6faf8f9.html|title=U. S. Senator Kennedy, Governor Edwards renew dispute on merits of criminal justice overhaul|date=August 8, 2018|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Will Sentell|accessdate=August 11, 2018}}</ref> [[Sheriff]] [[Steve Prator]] of Caddo Parish similarly disagreed with Edwards' criminal justice reforms, approved in a bipartisan fashion by th3e legislature. As the disagreement with Prator escalated, Edwards stopped the pending appointment of Mrs. Prator to a seat on the Red River Waterway board of commissioners formerly held by the late [[Rogers M. Prestridge]] of Shreveport.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/opinion/2018/08/16/gov-edwards-plays-politics-denies-caddo-waterway-commission-seat/1008148002/|title=Gov. Edwards plays politics to deny Caddo Parish a waterway commission seat|author=John E. Settle, Jr.|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|date=August 16, 2018|accessdate=August 30, 2018}}</ref> Kennedy has strongly defended Prator in the dispute with Edwards, who named Mike Deville of Rapides Parish to fill the vacancy. Kennedy said that he believes Edwards rejected Carolyn Prator's appointment because of the sheriff's earlier criticism of the governor's justice reforms. Kennedy cited the [[African-American]] Democratic state Senator [[Greg Tarver]] of Shreveport, who was quoted in ''The Baton Rouge Advocate'' as having said that Edwards told him he was rejecting the Carolyn Prator appointment because of her husband's opposition to the criminal justice reforms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2018/09/13/kennedy-accuses-edwards-vendetta-against-caddo-sheriff/1291981002/|title=Kennedy accuses Edwards of vendetta against Caddo sheriff|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|author=[[Greg Hilburn]]|accessdate=September 16, 2018}}</ref>

Despite his previous criticisms of Governor Edwards, Kennedy announced on December 3, 2018, that he would not run for governor in the nonpartisan blanket primary in 2019, when Edwards won his second term. For months earlier, Kennedy had been mentioned as a prospective gubernatorial candidate. His decision leaves only the [[Baton Rouge]] Republican businessman Eddie Rispone and [[U.S. Representative]] [[Ralph Abraham]] of Richland Parish in the race to unseat Edwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=
https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2018/12/03/breaking-kennedy-wont-run-governor/2189459002/|title=Breaking: Kennedy won't run for governor|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref>

In 2019, Kennedy endorsed conservative Republican [[Robert Mills]] for the District 36 seat in the Louisiana State Senate based about [[Bossier City]] and [[Minden, Louisiana|Minden]], rather than incumbent Moderate Republican [[Ryan Gatti]], a close friend of Governor John Bel Edwards.

==Ukraine war==
Kennedy turned to be establishment tool and voted for sending $40 billion to Ukraine.<ref>https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00191.htm</ref>

==Quotes==
*''I believe love is the answer, but I own a handgun just in case.''
*''I believe that you can't fix stupid, but you can vote it out.''<ref>[https://thepostmillennial.com/cpac-sen-john-kennedy-slams-biden-admin-cancel-culture CPAC: Sen. John Kennedy slams Biden admin, cancel culture]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Republican establishment}}
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[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Mississippi]]
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Lawyers]]
[[Category:Former Democrats]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:United Methodists]]
[[Category:117th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Republican Establishment]]