Kennedy, John, 1951-

John Neely Kennedy (born November 21, 1951), is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Louisiana since 2017. A Democrat turned Republican, he served as the Louisiana State Treasurer from 2000 to 2017. In 2016, when U.S. Senator David Vitter opted not to seek reelection, Kennedy ran for Senate. He finished first in the November nonpartisan blanket primary and defeated Democrat Foster Campbell 61–39% in the December runoff. He was sworn in on January 3, 2017. Kennedy was one of six Republican senators to object to the certification of Arizona's electors in the 2020 presidential election. Kennedy is running for reelection to a second term in the 2022 election.