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Mark Kennedy (politician)

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Mark Kennedy

Mark Raymond Kennedy (born April 11 1957 in Benson, Minnesota), is an American politician. Kennedy has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2001. He represented Minnesota's 2nd congressional district during the 107th Congress (2001-2003). The reapportionment following the 2000 Census resulted in Kennedy running for and winning the 6th district seat in 2003. Kennedy will vacate his congressional seat in January, 2007 because he is currently running for the United States Senate in Minnesota to replace retiring Senator Mark Dayton.

Biography

Mark graduated from Pequot Lakes High School in 1977, and went on to receive his B.A. at St. John's University and his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

Mark and his wife Debbie, a former public school educator, met as State 4-H Ambassadors and recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. They reside in Watertown, Minnesota and have one graduate, two children in college, and one in high school.[1] Kennedy has prominently featured his family in his campaign advertisements.

Political Views

Kennedy has been a strong supporter of American policy in Iraq and President George W. Bush.[2] Kennedy voted for President George W. Bush's position more often than any other Minnesota representative in 2001, 2002, and 2004.[citation needed] Kennedy's voted with the Bush Administration's policy 98% of the time in 2004 and 87% in 2005.[3] He has introduced legislation to amend the U.S. Constitution to allow the President of the United States a line-item veto.[4] He supports keeping American troops in Iraq until the war on terrorism is over. [5] In 2004, he declined to provide any responses to the 2004 National Political Awareness Test run by Project Vote Smart.

Abortion

Mark Kennedy refers to himself as "One hundred percent pro-life."[6] He voted in favor of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act. He voted against the Overseas Military Facilities Abortion Amendment, and both opposed and voted to sustain President Bush's veto on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005.[7]

2006 U.S. Senate campaign

See also: Minnesota U.S. Senate election, 2006

Kennedy is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat-Farm-Labor Senator Mark Dayton. Kennedy won the Republican primary on 12 September, 2006 and now will face-off against Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar. All recent public polling has shown Kennedy trailing Klobuchar in their Election Day match-up. Also in the race are Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald and Green Party candidate Michael Cavlan.

CPA Controversy

One of Kennedy's recurring campaign themes is that if elected, he'd be the only Certified Public Accountant serving in the United States Senate.[8] On 18 August, 2006 the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party released copies of an affidavit Kennedy signed annually while serving in Congress stating that he would not use the designation of CPA that could "lead a person to believe" that he holds and active certificate in Minnesota, and agreed to use the word "inactive" adjacent to his CPA title.[9] No legal charges have been filed against Kennedy, but the title "CPA" is regulated by the Minnesota Board of Accountancy when used within the state. Kennedy began working as a CPA in 1979 but became inactive shortly thereafter.[10]

Senate Television Ads

Kennedy has hired media consultant Scott Howell to produce television advertisements for his campaigns. Howell is currently consulting to three Midwestern U.S. Senate races where his clients are conservative Republican men opposing Democratic women endorsed by EMILY's List (Minnesota, Michigan and Missouri).[11] [12]

As of 25 September, 2006, Kennedy has aired 12 television ads in Minnesota media markets since 26 July, 2006. Their subjects have ranged from his support for the line-item veto, his votes in Congress on pension plans, his opposition to No Child Left Behind, gas prices, being a CPA, his "political independence", and his family. Most of his early ads were positive in nature, heavily featured his family, and used some self-deprecating humor.[13] On 16 September, 2006, Kennedy released the first attack in the campaign, and the second on 25 September, 2006. [14][15]

Controversy and criticism

Accuracy of Congressional Testimony

On October 15, 2003, he read from a circulating Internet hoax while giving testimony on the floor of the House of Representatives in support of an Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill (testimony begins at the bottom of page H9449 and continues of H9450). [14]. The hoax article, a comparison between Germany after WWII and the then-current situation in Iraq, had been disproven before the date of testimony and available via a google search [15]. The theme of Mr. Kennedy's speech was that the situation in Iraq in 2003 was the same as Germany in 1945[16].

Electoral history

Kennedy (left) with President George W. Bush (right) and Congressman Gil Gutknecht looking on (center).
  • 2004 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 6th District
  • 2002 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 6th District
    • Mark Kennedy (R), 57%
    • Janet Robert (DFL), 35%
    • Dan Becker (I), 7%
  • 2000 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 2nd District

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ [3]
  4. ^ [4]
  5. ^ [5]
  6. ^ [6]
  7. ^ [7]
  8. ^ [8]
  9. ^ [9]
  10. ^ [10]
  11. ^ [11]
  12. ^ [12]
  13. ^ [13]
  14. ^ Kennedy's News Release about first attack ad
  15. ^ Kennedy's TV ads as of 11 October, 2006
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district
2001 - 2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 6th congressional district
2003–present 		Incumbent


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