Cavanaugh, Kevin

Meet the Candidate

Running For:

County Sheriff

Political Affiliation:

Republican

Phone:

520-866-7568, 317-915-1111

Age:

Occupation:

ELECTED COUNTY SUPERVISOR

Education:

B.S. PUBLIC AFFAIRS, INDIANA UNIVERSITY, B.S. ACCOUNTING, WESTERN GOVERNOR'S UNIVERSITY

Family:

WIFE ANNA SAMAI CAVANAUGH

Religion:

BAPTIST

Statement:

Pinal County has experienced remarkable growth in the past 16 years and needs a Sheriff who can firmly support conservative issues while increasing the level of customer service provided to the County.

It isn’t enough to pontificate, we must act. While the Sheriff can’t build an inch of border wall, we can stop commercial trucks and busses coming from the border with illegal aliens and drugs by starting a motor carrier enforcement unit. Such a unit would not require probable cause to stop vehicles because all licensed motor carriers are subject to inspection at all times. I will frustrate the Federal Government’s open border policies.

The Biden Administration has mentioned limiting gun ownership and possession many times and it is the crown jewel of the leftist agenda. If legislation comes down from the State or Federal governments, I will make every willing, law abiding, citizen a member of my POSSE and REQUIRE them to carry a firearm. The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, particularly in Pinal County.

Our Sheriff’s Office has had popular celebrity sheriffs for nearly two decades. Internally, the Sheriff’s Office is stuck in 1980’s policies and practices. We need to update the way we do business, to capture more criminals, and move them efficiently to the justice system. We have four large patrol districts causing long wait times for Sheriff Office response. I owned a logistics company, I know how to re-work districts to cause better response times.

We need to change policy to reduce liability. Millions of dollars in legal fees and settlements are incurred by the Sheriff’s Office each year. The taxpayers foot the bill. I will implement changes to reduce liability-causing incidents.

Finally, we have had problems with one or two deputies offering women leniency in exchange for ‘favors’ on traffic stops. One deputy was recently terminated, but improper internal investigations let the problem exist for far too long. I was a manager of Internal Affairs, I will change policy to cause proper investigations in such instances, and inform the public as necessary to maintain the high quality of service and good reputation of the great deputies on the Department, and move along any bad apples that seek to tarnish the Pinal County Sheriff badge.

I will protect life. Even if the draconian voter initiative is passed permitting late term abortions, I will advocate for adoption, and write policy so that any mother with an unwanted pregnancy can have the baby and hand it over to deputies consistent with the ‘Safe Place’ initiative where babies can be delivered to fire stations – no questions asked.

Finally, I will aggressively pursue those who engage in animal fighting, including dogs and chickens. God gave us animals to care for an treat with dignity. Pinal County still has people engaging in the dreadful practice of allowing dogs to fight to the death for bets. People who abuse man’s best friend will be dealt with and arrested as necessary. There will be no room for animal abusers in Pinal County.

Kevin Cavanaugh, Pinal County Supervisor, District 1

Survey

Response Legend

SSupports
OOpposes
*Comment
−Declined to respond
†Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question	Response	Comments/Notes
1. Providing benefits and services such as free housing to undocumented migrants at taxpayer expense.	O*	My wife is an immigrant from Mexico. She waited her turn, crossed legally, and became a citizen. People want to get to American because it is the last-best hope of humanity on earth. It is still the land of the free, and the home of the brave. The long-held exceptions for asylum seekers is being abused. The Federal Government is welcoming as many illegal immigrants as possible to counter the effects of the shift to more conservative voting blocks, and offset the great numbers of people leaving blue states. The government should not provide free housing as it is an incentive to illegal immigration.
2. Allowing all parents to use tax credits and taxpayer funded empowerment scholarship accounts to enable their children to attend any private school, homeschool, or online academy of their choice.	S*	My friend is a public school superintendent. He was recently complaining that his son had very left-leaning beliefs. Having been raised by a conservative father, the answer was clear. The public schools overcame the reasonable conservative thinking taught in his home and the son now espouses the leftist ideology taught in many public schools. My friend couldn't overcome what was taught in the public school system he supports. Parents should have the greatest influence over their children, not the government. Choice of schooling should be a part of that.
3. Interpreting the 2nd Amendment as protecting an individual’s right to keep and bear arms.	S*	If state or federal government limits gun rights, I will make every law-abiding citizen who desires, a member of the Sheriff's Posse. The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed upon while I am Sheriff.
4. Using taxpayer funds to support any organization that performs, promotes, or provides referrals for abortion.	O*	I believe life begins at conception. We have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe those who advise women to have abortions and facilitate the practice will be judged harshly in eternity. I removed a 16 week old baby boy from the womb of his dead mother. Ten fingers, ten toes, he was a fully formed person. I cannot support abortion.
5. Amending the Arizona State Constitution to grant a fundamental right to every individual to an abortion.	O*	The law would include teenagers having abortions without the consent of the parents. Government exercises far too much control over decisions that should be made by a family. I know many women who now agonize over abortions they had when they were younger. Because I believe that life begins at conception, and that there is a God, a creator of all things as evidenced by science, DNA, and the mathematical impossibility of random creation, I believe that each baby can grow into a person who is wonderfully created for a purpose.
6. Providing tax breaks to certain industries over others.	O*	As a County Supervisor I have dealt with this issue directly. The County has subsidized start-up electric car companies, battery factories, and opposed individual farmers who want to convert their crops to solar production. The governments most important role is to get out of the way, but too often we pick the winners and losers, particularly when distributing federal government money.
7. Adding "sexual orientation," "gender identity," or "gender expression" to the protected classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestry in nondiscrimination ordinances.	O*	There are only two genders, male and female. It's a free country, and a person can believe what they want to believe, and love who they want to love. Having the government tell others what to believe when it is contrary to recognized biology is not reasonable.
8. Allowing parents to seek professional counseling for their minor child with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues.	S*	Kids these days are influenced heavily by what they are taught in public schools, and what they learn on social media. Our family doesn't have social media accounts because it brings poison into your eyes and thoughts, even with filters. Not long ago I had a social media X.COM account just for the purpose of catching up on the news. I had every filter on, and listed my age as below 14 years. No matter my filters, I received images that would be entirely inappropriate for children and abandoned the account. As a child sex crimes detective I have interviewed hundreds of kids. Hormones do strange things to a normal kid, but add outside influences and a child can begin down a path they may regret later. A child should be afforded counseling if necessary to deal with sexual attraction issues. When they are adults they can choose any path they like.
9. Enhancing penalties for leading and participation in organized retail theft rings.	S*	If we allow theft rings to operate in Arizona, prices will go up, stores will close, and we will cause law abiding citizens to suffer. As sheriff I will not wait for theft rings to aggressively pursue shoplifters. Retail theft will not be tolerated in Pinal County.
10. Permitting individuals and businesses to not provide services or promote ideas that violate their moral or religious beliefs.	S*	A private business brings with it a set of values unique to the owners. They should be able to serve consistent with their beliefs. There was an issue with a cake company in Colorado some years ago. The owner refused to bake a cake for a gay couple. Colorado law said he had to. If it was my cake shop, and the customer forced me to bake a cake against my deeply held religious or moral beliefs, I would bake the ugliest cake I could and charge them double. I believe in following the law - I also believe in waging unconventional warfare against encroaching socialism.