Kavanagh: I’ve battled for conservative ideals for more than 50 years

My name is John Kavanagh and I am a lifelong conservative Republican who has served in the state Legislature for the past 16 years in both the House and Senate.

I am currently running to return to the Arizona Senate.

I have been endorsed by Senator Nancy Barto and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, among others.

Unlike my opponent, who has never held elective office and only recently became active in politics, I have devoted all of my teen and adult life to advancing conservative principles. My advocacy of such principles began in high school, continued through college, and even when I was a full-time police officer, I served on my local town council.

After retiring from my police job, I moved to Arizona with my family, where I was a full-time college professor and also served on the Fountain Hills Town Council for six years. For the last 16 years, I have served in the in the state legislature. Thus, I have a proven track record of conservative voting and I also have decades of experience advocating and advancing conservative principles. I hope to continue doing so as your state senator.

I have been married for the last 46 years to my wife, Linda Kavanagh, former mayor of Fountain Hills. We have two adult sons, one grandchild and two cats.

I earned a bachelor’s degree from NYU in liberal arts, a master’s degree from St. John’s University in government and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University in criminal justice. I served as a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officer for 20 years, retiring as a detective sergeant. Upon moving to Arizona, I taught as a college professor, initially at Arizona State University, but mostly at Scottsdale Community College, where I was head of the criminal justice program and created the forensic science program.

I first entered the Arizona Legislature while working full-time as a college professor in 2006. I immediately became one of the leaders in the fight against illegal immigration and helped write Senate Bill 1070, Arizona’s iconic anti-illegal immigration law.

I continue the battle against illegal immigration today and, in fact, have a bill advancing that will allocate $150 million to build more border wall and that’s just the beginning. I have also been endorsed by many police organizations because I have advanced many bills to protect our police offices from attacks by the far left.

I am proud to have a lifetime A+ rating from the National Rifle Association, a lifetime A rating from the American Conservative Union and a perfect lifetime voting record from the Center for Arizona Policy for my support and advocacy of pro-life, pro-family and pro-school choice legislation.

I am also the only legislator to have received the U.S. Humane Society‘s “Legislator of the Year” award three times. You can learn more about my humane animal laws at www.humaneanimallaws.com and my legislative actions at www.electkavanagh.com.

America is at the crossroads in a political and cultural battle with the far left. The task of preserving American values and advancing Republican principles cannot be trusted to the inexperienced and untested. The stakes are too high.

I am ready and able to continue the fight for conservatism that I have engaged in for over 50 years. I ask for your vote to be your state senator.

About the author

John Kavanagh is a Republican primary candidate to represent Legislative District 3 in the Arizona Senate.