John Kavanagh (American politician)

John Kavanagh
Member of the Arizona Senate from the 23rd[1] district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 15, 2015
Preceded by	Michele Reagan
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 23rd[2] district
In office January 14, 2013 – January 15, 2015 Serving with Michelle Ugenti
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 8th district
In office January 8, 2007 – January 14, 2013 Serving with Michele Reagan (2007–2011) Michelle Ugenti (2011–2013)
Preceded by	Colette Rosati
Personal details
Born	June 5, 1950 Queens, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Linda Kavanagh
Residence	Fountain Hills, Arizona
Alma mater	New York University St. John's University Rutgers University
Profession	police officer

John Kavanagh^[3] (born June 5, 1950^[4]) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona Senate representing District 23 since January 12, 2015. Previously Kavanagh served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 23 from January 14, 2013 to January 12, 2015, and (due to redistricting) representing District 8 from January 8, 2007 until January 14, 2013. He was a police officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and retired as a detective sergeant, after 20 years of service. He is currently a professor of criminal justice at Scottsdale Community College (AZ), where he is Program Director of the Administration of Justice Studies and Forensic Science Programs. He is married to Linda with two children and one grandchild.

Education and early life

The son of an Irish immigrant, he was born in Queens, New York.^[5]

Kavanagh earned his BA in liberal arts from New York University, his MA in government from St. John's University, and his PhD in criminal justice from Rutgers University.

Elections

• 2014 Elected to the Arizona State Senate in District 23, defeating Democrat Paula Pennypacker,^[6] and replacing Sen. Michele Reagan, who was elevated to Secretary of State in the same election.^[7]
• 2012 Redistricted to District 23 alongside incumbent Representative Michelle Ugenti, and with incumbent Republican Representatives John Fillmore running for Arizona Senate and Frank Pratt redistricted to District 8, Kavanagh ran alongside Representative Ugenti in the three-way August 28, 2012 Republican Primary; Kavanagh placed first with 20,922 votes and Representative Ugenti placed second;^[8] they were unopposed for the November 6, 2012 General election, where Representative Ugenti took the first seat and Kavanagh took the second seat with 68,827 votes.^[9]
• 2006 When incumbent Republican Representative Colette Rosati ran for Arizona Senate and left a District 8 seat open, Kavanagh ran in the five-way September 12, 2006 Republican Primary, taking second place with 7,979 votes;^[10] in the four-way November 7, 2006 General election, Representative Michele Reagan took the first seat and Kavanagh took the second seat with 35,260 ahead of Democratic nominees Stephanie Rimmer and H. William Sandberg.^[11]
• 2008 Kavanagh and Representative Reagan were unopposed for the September 2, 2008 Republican Primary; Representative Reagan placed first and Kavanagh placed second with 14,532 votes;^[12] in the three-way November 2, 2010 General election, Representative Reagan took the first seat and Kavanagh took the second seat with 50,507 votes ahead of Democratic nominee Stephanie Rimmer.^[13]
• 2010 With Representative Reagan running for Arizona Senate and leaving a District 8 seat open, Kavanagh ran in the six-way August 24, 2010 Republican Primary and placed first with 18,081 votes;^[14] in the three-way November 2, 2010 General election Kavanagh took the first seat with 43,867 votes and fellow Republican nominee Michelle Ugenti took the second seat ahead of Democratic nominee John Kriekard.^[15]

News comments

John Kavanagh recently made news for his controversial comment on inmate Regan Clarine being asked to treat her C-section with sugar. He reportedly commented "That doesn't sound like a true allegation. That sounds ridiculous. Prisoners have 24/7 to think of allegations and write letters. I'm not saying that some of them can't have a basis in fact, but you gotta take them with a grain of salt, or, in the case of the hospital, maybe a grain of sugar."^[16][17]

Kavanagh was the lead sponsor of a bill to remove the name of Balbir Singh Sodhi from the state's memorial to the victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks.^[18] Claiming that Sodhi, who was murdered four days after the attacks by a white supremacist seeking revenge for the 9/11 attacks, was "not a victim of 9/11," Kavanagh further stated “It’s part of a myth that, following 9/11, Americans went into a xenophobic rage against foreigners. That’s not true. America’s reaction towards foreigners was commendable.”^[18] The bill passed, but was vetoed and did not take effect.^[19]

Kavanagh also sponsored a bill to make it illegal, even during your own interaction, to record the police within twenty feet. ^[20]

Kavanagh is also known for introducing the failed "Arizona Transgender Bathroom Bill" which caught the attention of media across the country. This proposed bill would have criminalized Transgender people for using the correct bathroom. Kavanagh was criticized for introducing this Bill by Gay-Rights Activists and also by peers in the GOP. ^{[21] [22]}

References

External links

• Official page at the Arizona State Legislature
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Biography at Ballotpedia
• Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics