John Neely Kennedy in 2016 LA Senate race

On Principles & Values: Belief in Jesus informs every decision I make

Q: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

A: I am a Christian and believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. That belief informs every decision I make and my commitment to serve the public.

Q: What in the nature of mankind caused America's Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?

A: It was only by God's divine providence that our founders established the Constitution and the checks and balances that now define our great nation. They understood fully that the authority to govern must be entrusted to the people and not to a select few in power.

Source: 2016 AFA Action iVoterGuide on 2016 Louisiana Senate race Dec 10, 2016

On Budget & Economy: Balanced budget amendment to restore fiscal responsibility

Across America, families are required to live within a budget because they understand that you cannot spend more than you take in. Yet, Washington does not understand this basic idea. Washington is on a spending spree that's hurting our economy. It's time that we go back to the basics and balance the budget.

John Kennedy will restore fiscal responsibility in Washington. As Louisiana's State Treasurer, he stood up against powerful politicians and special interests to oppose government waste, fraud and abuse.

John will help end the wasteful practice of pork-barrel spending. Louisianans know the difference between government spending designed to help a politician--which is shameful and wasteful--and spending designed to help hurting people.

Deficit spending is affecting the economy as well. John supports a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Just like American families, Congress must learn to live within its means.

Source: 2016 Louisiana Senate campaign website JohnKennedy.com Aug 31, 2016

On Foreign Policy: Radical Islamic fundamentalists despise our core values

September 11, 2001 reminded Americans and Louisianans of who we are. It fully opened our eyes to the threat of violent, radical Islamic fundamentalists. We face extremists who advocate for the destruction of America and despise the core values for which we stand. Today we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, central fronts in the fight against Islamic fundamentalism, but the threat is global. Our enemy does not think in terms of borders and pursues a fanatical quest to destroy America and our allies and suppress the world under a radical Islamic government.

However, our broken leadership in Washington has not come together to face this threat. Congress has played politics with our national security. John Kennedy believes we need a new approach that can unite America and its allies and use all our tools and innovative approaches to protect and defend America. As State Treasurer, John called for the divestment of public money from U.S. or foreign businesses with links to terrorists.

Source: 2016 Louisiana Senate campaign website JohnKennedy.com Aug 31, 2016

On Homeland Security: Increase size of the military; increase spending for defense

During the 1990's, military personnel and spending decreased significantly, resulting in an inability to modernize our forces for today's challenges. In order to meet these 21st century challenges, John supports increasing the size of the military as well as spending for defense. Investing in defense means that we can provide our troops with modern equipment and pay for the health care they deserve.

Congress has played politics with our national security, with Senators delaying funding for our troops in harm's way based on their partisan and personal agendas.

Today we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, central fronts in the fight against Islamic fundamentalism, but the threat is global. The challenge of defeating Islamic fundamentalism cannot be left to one country. We must revitalize old alliances and create new ones to meet these challenges.

Source: 2016 Louisiana Senate campaign website JohnKennedy.com Aug 31, 2016

On Free Trade: TPP lacks safeguards against currency manipulation

State Treasurer John Kennedy, a Republican from Madisonville, called the lack of any safeguards against currency manipulation the Trans-Pacific Partnership's major flaw. That's the tactic deployed when a country artificially keeps low the value of its money against the American dollar, making imported American goods more expensive than domestically made ones. "If you're in doubt about something this important that affects 40 percent of the world's economy, then I say don't do it," Kennedy said. Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune on 2016 Louisiana Senate race Aug 10, 2016

On Principles & Values: I speak my mind, & some politicians call me a troublemaker

State Treasurer John Kennedy announced he is running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Vitter. After 15 years as the state's top accountant, Kennedy immediately worked to cast himself as an outsider: "I try not to be rude, but I speak my mind," he said. "Some politicians call me a troublemaker, a misfit, a rebel, a square peg in a round hole, because I'm not part of the club. I think I make the right people mad. My job is to protect taxpayers, not seek the approval of my political peers." Source: The New Orleans Times-Picayune on 2016 Louisiana Senate race Jan 26, 2016

The above quotations are from 2016 Louisiana Senate race: debates and news coverage. Click here for other excerpts from 2016 Louisiana Senate race: debates and news coverage. Click here for other excerpts by John Neely Kennedy. Click here for a profile of John Neely Kennedy.
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Page last updated: Dec 08, 2018