Kavanagh, John

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
State Senate
District:
3
Political Affiliation:
Republican
Phone:
(480) 695-8561
Age:
74
Occupation:
College Professor/Retired Police Detective Sergeant
Education:
BA (NYU) MA (St. John's Univ.) PhD (Ruthers Univ.)
Family:
Wife and two grown children
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Biographical Info:

John Kavanagh is a veteran lawmaker, having served eighteen years in the Arizona legislature and nine years on two town councils. He is a political and social conservative who has always been rated 100% by the Center for Arizona Policy. He is the only legislator to have been named “Legislator of the Year” three times by The Humane Society of the United States.

Kavanagh is married to Linda Kavanagh, the former mayor of Fountain Hills. They have two grown children and two cats, Lewis and Clark.

Kavanagh received a BA from N.Y.U, a Master’s Degree from St. John’s University (Queens, NY) in Government and a PhD in criminal justice from Rutgers University. He is a retired police detective sergeant having served 20 years with the Port Authority of NY & NJ Police. He also taught full-time at Arizona State University and Scottsdale Community College, where he was the criminal justice program director and founded SCC’s forensic science program. He still teaches part-time at Scottsdale Community College and ASU.

Statement:

I have always possessed a strong sense of public service and have always desired to advance political and social conservative policies. I began my political activity at the age of 15 with the Conservative Party of New York State, served two terms as a town councilman back east while I was a police officer, served on the Fountain Hills Council for six years, and then onto the Arizona legislature for the past 18 years.

I hope to continue my public service in the legislature.

Endorsements:

National Federation of Independent Business AZ (NFIB), AZ Women of Action, AZ Free Enterprise Club, AZ Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Police Association, Greater Phoenix Chamber, Arizona Troopers Association, Center for Arizona Policy Action

Survey

Response Legend

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

Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Allowing all parents to use tax credits and publicly funded Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) to enable their children to attend any private school, homeschool, or online academy of their choice. S
2. Requiring district and charter school officials, including teachers, to inform parents about their child’s social, mental, emotional, or physical health. S
3. Implementing district and charter school policies to allow students and faculty to use the restroom, locker room, and shower room based on self-identification rather than biological sex. O
4. Requiring signed permission from a parent before a district or charter school student may participate in any sexuality-related instruction, activities, or clubs. S
5. Requiring each district and charter school to post online a list of all curriculum and instructional materials being used in the classroom. S
6. Enacting government regulation of the creed, practices, and curriculum of private schools. O
7. Requiring government-mandated testing standards for private school and homeschool students. O
8. Terminating Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) and School Tuition Organization (STO) programs. O
9. Permitting ESA homeschool students to participate in public high school athletic programs. S
10. Acquiring parental consent for district and charter school faculty and staff to refer to students by pronouns that do not align with the student’s birth sex. S
11. Making available books and instructional materials that include sexually explicit images and themes in district and charter school classrooms and libraries. O