| Mark Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 2nd district |
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| In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | David Minge |
| Succeeded by | John Kline |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 6th district |
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| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Luther |
| Succeeded by | Michele Bachmann |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 11, 1957 Benson, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Debbie Kennedy |
| Residence | Watertown, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | St. John's University |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Mark Raymond Kennedy (born April 11, 1957, Benson, Minnesota), is an American businessman and politician. Kennedy was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007. He represented Minnesota's 2nd congressional district during the 107th Congress (2001–2003) and Minnesota's 6th congressional district during the 108th and 109th Congresses (2003–2007). Kennedy vacated his congressional seat in January 2007 to conduct his unsuccessful campaign to represent Minnesota in the United States Senate.
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Kennedy graduated from Pequot Lakes High School in 1975, and St. John's University in 1979. He began his career as a Certified Public Accountant and went on to receive his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in 1983.
Kennedy's business career prior to the U.S. Congress included working for The Pillsbury Company, assisting with their acquisition of Häagen-Dazs and arranging for financing to support their international expansion. As a senior executive at Federated Department Stores, he helped the company position itself for growth to become, as Macy's, the world's leading department store. He was profiled in May 1992's Institutional Investor Magazine, which featured him on its cover as one of “America's top CFOs”. At ShopKo Stores, he was responsible for merchandising, marketing and store management.
In 2000, Kennedy won the Republican nomination for the 2nd district and faced four-term Democrat David Minge. He had never run for political office before. In the closest congressional race of that cycle, Kennedy defeated Minge by 155 votes.
In 2002, although Minnesota didn't gain or lose any districts, Kennedy's 2nd district—a monstrous 28-county district stretching from the southwestern corner of the state to the fringes of the Twin Cities—was dismantled. Its territory was split up among four neighboring districts. Kennedy's home outside Watertown was located just inside the reconfigured 6th district, in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities.
Kennedy initially expected to face the 6th's three-term incumbent Democrat, Bill Luther. However, the new 6th was somewhat more Republican than its predecessor, and Luther opted to move to the reconfigured 2nd District where he lost to John Kline. Instead, Kennedy faced Janet Robert, a lawyer and longtime Democratic activist. In one of the most expensive congressional races in Minnesota history, Kennedy was reelected with 57% of the vote. In 2004, Kennedy faced child safety advocate Patty Wetterling. Kennedy received 54% percent of the popular vote to Wetterling's 46%.
Kennedy ran against DFL candidate and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by DFL Senator Mark Dayton. Also in the race were Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald, Green Party candidate Michael Cavlan, and Constitution Party candidate Ben Powers.
Klobuchar won the election, receiving 58% of the vote to Kennedy's 38%.
Kennedy's support of the War in Iraq during the 2006 U.S. Senate race was described as "bold and smart" on Fox News' Brit Hume Show (Fox News, Brit Hume Show, 12-27-06) and CNN’s Anderson Cooper said that "Kennedy doesn't ignore the elephant in the room, to the contrary, he looks it straight in the eye" (CNN, Anderson Cooper 360°, 10-25-06).
Kennedy is a proponent of free trade, Kennedy was the deciding vote in giving the President Fast track Authority and in passing the Central America Free Trade Agreement.[1]
In Congress, Kennedy supported the Bush tax cuts, He voted for the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan,[2] and he was the deciding vote on the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.[3] Kennedy's reputation as a reformer was further enhanced by his sponsorship of the line item veto,[4] a lifetime ban on all members of Congress becoming lobbyists,[5] full deductibility of medical expenses,[6] no parole for sex offenders,[7] and Medicare Plan Enrollment Fraud Protection.[8]
Kennedy's record of included partnering with twenty Democrats to lead legislation and having more than half the Democrats in the House co-sponsor bills he introduced. Such bills included authoring the Teacher's for Tomorrow’s Careers Act with New Jersey Democrat Rush Holt,[9] the Fair Care for the Uninsured Act with Illinois Democrat Dan Lipinski,[10][11] Rural Access to Emergency Services Act with North Dakota Democrat Earl Pomeroy,[12] the Clean Alternatives for Energy Independence Act with Democrat Colorado Mark Udall,[13] the Emergency Wetlands Loan Act with California Democrat Mike Thompson,[14] the Child Support Enforcement Act with California Democrat Juanita Millender-McDonald,[15] SLAM Act with Oregon Democrat Darlene Hooley to increase penalties on those who traffic and sell meth to our young people.[16]
Kennedy refers to himself as "100% Pro-Life." He voted in favor of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and voted to sustain President Bush's veto on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005.[1]
In 2007, Kennedy was appointed to the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiation (ACTPN).[17] ACTPN, a part of the Office of the United States Trade Representative, considers trade policy issues in the context of overall national interest.
In 2008, Kennedy, along with former congressmen Tim Penny and Bill Frenzel, founded the Economic Club of Minnesota (ECOM),[18] a nonpartisan platform for national and international leaders in business, government, and public policy to present their ideas on how Minnesota can better compete in an increasingly globalized economy.
In 2008, he established the Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series at the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy at his alma mater, St. John’s University.
From 2007-10 Kennedy served as the Global Retail Business Development Lead for Accenture, a global management consulting, technology, and outsourcing services firm. In 2010, he formed Chartwell Strategic Advisors LLC. Kennedy's activities through Chartwell include providing strategic advice in addition to public speaking at business conferences, executive education programs and public affairs forums.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Minge |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district 2001–2003 |
Succeeded by John Kline |
| Preceded by Bill Luther |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 6th congressional district 2003–2007 |
Succeeded by Michele Bachmann |
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