Kavanagh, John

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
State Senate
District:
3
Political Affiliation:
Republican
Phone:
480-695-8561
Age:
71
Occupation:
College Professor and Retired Police Detective Sergeant
Education:
BA - N.Y.U. MA - St. John's University (Government) PhD - Rutgers (Criminal Justice)
Biographical Info:

John Kavanagh has promoted pro-life, pro-family, school choice and other conservative causes in the legislature for sixteen years as a state senator and state representative. He is now running for re-election to the state senate in LD3.

John Kavanagh is married to Linda Kavanagh, former Fountain Hills mayor, and has two children, a grandson and two cats.

John was a police officer for 20 years and retired as a detective sergeant from the Port Authority of NY and NJ Police Department. Upon moving to Arizona, he taught at Arizona State University and Scottsdale Community College, where he was department head and also founded their forensic science program. He still teaches at SCC.

John served on two town councils for a total of nine years in Lafayette, NJ and Fountain Hills, AZ. He has been in the Arizona legislature for the past 16 years and works actively with the Center for Arizona Policy. He has a perfect Center for Arizona Policy voting record and has sponsored CAP-supported bills. He is pleased to have earned the trust and endorsement of Senator Nancy Barto.

Statement:

I have spent my entire adult life promoting pro-life, pro-family and conservative causes because I sincerely believe that they are moral, right and just. My experience, knowledge and skills make me a very effective advocate of these worthy causes and I hope to continue promoting them with you support and God’s blessing.

Endorsements:

AZ Nurses Association (AzNA),
Arizona Chamber of Commerce,
Arizona Police Association,
Arizona Technology Council,
National Federation of Independent Business,
Arizona Chamber of Commerce

Survey

Response Legend

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

Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Expanding background checks to include guns purchased from private individuals. O
2. Adding “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” or “gender expression” to the protected classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestry in nondiscrimination law. O
3. Prohibiting abortion except when it is necessary to prevent the death of the mother. S
4. Allowing biological males that identify as transgender to play on female sports teams. O* I co-sponsored the bill to ban this with Sen. Barto
5. Providing state funding to abortion entities that perform or refer for abortion. O
6. Allowing all parents to use tax credits, vouchers, or education savings accounts to enable their children to attend any public, charter, private, homeschool, or online academy. S
7. Legalizing physician-assisted suicide. O
8. Allowing parents to seek professional counseling for their minor child with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues. S
9. Protecting individuals and businesses from being required to provide services or use their artistic expression in a manner that violates their moral or religious beliefs. S
10. Keeping the flat income tax rate in Arizona’s state tax code. S
11. Requiring any government entity, including schools, to inform parents about their child’s physical, emotional, or mental health. S
12. Establishing electric retail competition to eliminate the current monopoly system for electric utilities. S* I believe that the current law needs changes to prevent unintended negative consequences.