Since moving his official permanent residency to Little Falls, Minnesota in 2021, Kennedy has been a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party. From 2001 to 2021, he was a member of the Illinois Democratic Party, though he had been spending most of his free time at Minnesota since 2013.
Early Life
James Ferrer Kennedy was born in 1978 in New York City, New York, to Andrew Kennedy and Argentinian immigrant María Ferrer. The following year, the family moved to Ohio.Coming from a family of lawyers, he was educated in a good public school of Cleveland. He'd become a very good student, getting a scholarship to study at Harvard University in 1996. In 2000, following the completetion of his Political Science degree, James moved to Chicago, Illinois, to teach History at the Illinois University.
Political Beginnings
In early 2000, James found himself having political aspirations, and decided to fill in the papers to run for Attorney General. Unknown among Illinois citizens, he began to campaign through every county to listen to voters and get his message through. However, this wasn't enough to win the nomination to the much more known Lisa Madigan. In his concession speech endorsing the future Attorney General, Kennedy was able to deliver a message that would gain him much support among the Chicago base, thus already preparing for his political future.Illinois Legislator
In 2001 he'd run for IL House of Representatives, defeating popular two term-incumbent Tom Cross in a close recount in which Kennedy got just 19 votes more than his opponent. Despite being a freshman, he was already trusted many leadership duties and became a prominent member of the House Democratic Caucus. He was seen as a potential candidate for State House Majority Leader, Governor in 2003 and Senate in 2004, but declined to run every time. He continued pushing forward legislation which improved Illinois in many ways.Secretary of State
In 2006, with the retirement of IL Secretary of State Jesse White, and former Republican Leader Tom Cross announcing his intentions to run for his seat, the Democratic Party found itself in need to find a candidate that would be able to succesfully challenge Cross. Despite his bad relations with Governor Blagojevich, the man who asked him to run, Kennedy accepted the rematch. He'd narrowly defeat Cross again by just 635 votes, and took oath of office as the 38th Secretary of State. His tenure in this office, however, wouldn't last for too long.Return to the State Legislature: Speaker
Just 10 months later, Speaker Mike Madigan (D) announced his resignment and retirement from politics. Kennedy would have been interested to run for the leadership position had he been in the House, but denied intentions to run for Madigan's House seat (and later Speaker seat once in the House) due to his commitment to his recently elected office.However, IL Democratic Party leaders, such as former Chicago Mayor George Jameson (who would later become his Junior Senate Partner) and Senator Barack Obama endorsed him to succeed Madigan, seeing him as the best possible replacement. After many drafts being launched, Kennedy accepted. He won in a landslide and was elected Speaker of the State Congress.
As Speaker, Kennedy fought for progressive agenda, most remarkably passing an outlaw of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing and in the workplace and an environmental-friendly energy plan. He served from 2007 to 2011, when he succesfully ran for Senator.
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Senator of the Wabash Valley
After narrowly defeating Congressman David Vithoulkas, and Vice President Hayes being confirmed by the outgoing Senate, Senator-elect Kennedy unsuccesfully run for the President Pro Tempore seat in the friendly (and close) Senate Democratic Leadership Elections. Dmitri Kowalchuk of Florida was confirmed instead.Later on, Senate Majority Leader Esther Cullen (D-KY) decided to trust Kennedy the powerful GRAC committee gavel. During his term, he was the most active Chairman, passing over 20 bills in the first weeks, and having held the important Auto Crisis hearings.
In 2012, with the removal from office of both Senator Morgenthau (D-WA) and Governor Flint (D-WA) and the elevation of Lt. Governor Morrison (R-ID), followed by the appointment of Senator Karcin (R-OR), the Senate changed hands and went to the Republicans. Due to this, Kennedy lost his gavel, but retained control of the GRAC DNC Leadership.
In an interview with Red Blanchard in "The Red Zone", Senator Kennedy announced he'd challenge Governor Allum in the 2012 Elections instead of running for re-election. Early polls showed a dead heat tie with Kennedy taking Michigan and Illinois and Allum taking Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. As the race continued, polls continued calling the race too close to call. After Governor Allum dropped out on the last week of campaigning for unknown reasons, Kennedy was officially elected.
Governor of the Midwest
Jimmy Kennedy was inaugurated the 13th January, 2013 as the 2nd Governor of the Midwest, 1st Democrat, and 1st Hispanic American in the whole nation since regionalization.First Session (2013 - 2014)
With a strong majority of 55 seats in the Midwest General Assembly, Governor Kennedy focused on pushing forward many of his 2012 promises on social programs, as well as his eco-friendly agenda. As the session progressed, he managed to turn a 12 billion budget deficit into a 4 billion surplus with the support of the Minority Leader and the whole Assembly. Together with the budget, his economy recovery plan, which would help workers with job training and give tax benefits for new Midwest industries, got passed and signed into law.In 2014, he finally completed the formation of his cabinet, which was labeled as competent, capable, and bipartisan by analysts, and earned him a big amount of praise. He soon became the region's most popular official according to most polls, and was chosen by his Democratic colleges in the NGA to co-chair the national organization with Republican Governor Pizzuto of Pennsylvania. Under him, the Assembly has introduced and debated over 40 bills, surpassing the Allum years; and unlike his predecessor, he's not found himself in disagreement with the Legislature too often, using the Veto Pen only once.
Second Session (2015 - 2016)
After the elections, the Democratic Majority in the General Assembly increased to 56 seats. In addition, the death penalty, which Kennedy has repeatedly supported, was legalized in a referendum, together with an Equal Pay Amendment, and a proposition to repeal Illinois' flat tax.During the start of his second session, Governor Kennedy lost his Lt. Governor, who was appointed to a vacant Senate seat in 2015. Kennedy nominated Alvin Exley, a competent and professional former staffer of the Mayor of Chicago. Together, they passed even more "flagship agenda", with Kennedy demonstrating his "willingness and capacity for compromise". His popularity increased, reaching 60%, even higher among Independents. With no single vetos, Kennedy kept working on his 2012 promises, passing legislation to hire 10,000 new police officers, give hard-working teachers generous tax credits, and enact a middle-class tax cut; among others.
Vice Presidential Candidate
In 2016, James Kennedy was selected by Senate Majority Leader Jackson Rockefeller to be his running mate against Republican Governors Pizzuto and Pooty. On November, the two Democrats were narrowly defeated due to extremely close loses in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California. However, the duo did capture the entire Midwest, homeregion of Kennedy, together with the states of Missouri and Iowa, in which the Illinoisian frequently campaigned. With his term as Governor expiring, Kennedy retired back to status as private citizen.Appointment to the U.S. Senate
After a few weeks retired from politics, Kennedy returned to public service, accepting her succesor in the Governor Mansion, Angelina Rockefeller's offer, to replace her in the Senate. Upon entering Congress, he was awarded the Chairmanship of the GRAC Committee, replacing Edward Wyatt, who had been elected President Pro Tempore. Through this two appointments, he returned 4 years later to the two seats he held from 2011 to 2013. His session was succesful, with his committee being called a "model for the whole Congress" thanks to it's bipartisanship.Back to the Governor's Mansion
In 2018, with Angelina Rockefeller resigning as Governor, and the elevation of Republican Lt. Governor John Houston, Jimmy was once again encouraged by friends and family to run, this time to return to the Mansion. He defeated John Houston on Election Day, taking all five states and over 54% of the votes.He returned to Springfield with a 54-47 Democratic Majority, and with his friend, Jaime Elzar-Toledo, as Democratic Majority Leader.Later that year, he was chosen by his fellow Governors to become the 1st Chairman of the National Governors Association since regionalization. His first major accomplished projects of his second Governorship were the establishment of an Universal Pre-K program, funded by Illinois' pre-regionalization preschool funds, and the expansion of the Midwest's Competitive Scholarship. He also renewed stimulus efforts, and created a fund to invest in technological research.
When the Midwest and the Heartland regions merged into a new megaregion, Kennedy decided not to seek re-election as Governor.
New Region's Conventions
When the Midwest and the Heartland were merged into a new megaregion, Kennedy decided not to seek re-election as Governor, and prepared to retire from politics. He did, however, attend his new region's convention as the Democratic Party's official spokesperson and leader. His proposed regional name ("Jefferson"), flag, motto, Constitution, Bill of Rights, cabinet, Supreme Court, abortion compromise and Senate delegation were all approved, and he worked with Senator Taylor to propose the tax code which would be later passed.Congress: House Majority Leader
After the conventions, he moved with his kids to his home at Little Falls, Minnesota, where he had been spending his free time with his family since 2013. He soon switched his party affiliation to "Democratic-Farmer-Labor". He stayed active in politics though, endorsing Basil Taylor for Governor of Jefferson, campaigning for House Democrats and delivering a keynote address at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.Later that year, due to the general discontent with both the incumbent Republican (John Pawlenty) and the Democrat challenger (Lamar Walker) for Minnesota's 8th, his new home district, a movement to draft him to run for Congress was launched. The former Governor, very popular in Minnesota, was prepared to retire. Nevertheless, he was elected as a write-in candidate on November 3rd with 71% of the vote, defeating Pawlenty (21%) and Walker (7%).
Touched by his constituents support, he took oath of office on January, 3rd, 2021. With Democrats regaining majority, Kennedy was unexpectedly elected by unanimous consent by his colleagues to serve as House Majority Leader for the 117th Congress. He thus became the first Hispanic-American Congress party leader, and the first House party leader representing Minnesota.
Final Retirement
In late 2021, Kennedy was diagnosed with cancer. A tumor which was thought to be benign and which had been removed back in 2013 after surgery, had returned, went undetected by doctors, and grown. Kennedy resigned his seats in order to recover.Personal Life
Kennedy is known for his height - standing at 7 feet (2.13 m), he's the tallest Representative, Senator, Congressional leader, Governor and Vice Presidential candidate in U.S. history. He didn't play professional basketball because, in his own words, he "wasn't that good".Kennedy met his first wife, prosecutor Chelsea Sink, in 1995, and married her in 1997. That same year, their first son Jaime Jr. was born, and later, in 2000, they adopted a Chinese 9-year old girl, Alexandra. Chelsea died in a plain crash in 2001, while campaigning for her husband.
In 2012, James met Lilya Richards, and after dating her for a few months, they decided to marry. Their first child, Abigail, was born in 2013. In 2019, Lilly, encouraged by her husband, succesfully ran for Congress.
Election Results
| Election | Location | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House of Representatives, 2020 | Minnesota's 8th district | General | Jimmy Kennedy | Write-in Democrat | 188,947 | 71.3% | John Pawlenty | Republican | 57,503 | 21.8% | Lamar Walker | Democrat | 17,489 | 6.6% | |||
| Governor Election, 2018 | Midwest | General | Jimmy Kennedy | Democrat | 7,853,336 | 54.16% | John Houston | Republican | 6,558,462 | 45.23% | Others | Independent | 88,452 | 0.61% | |||
| Presidential Election, 2016 | United States | General | Rockefeller/Kennedy | Democrat | 263 | - | Pizzuto/Pooty | Republican | 275 | - | Others | Independent | 0 | - | |||
| Governor Election, 2012 | Midwest Region | General | Jimmy Kennedy | Democrat | 10,624,333 | 73.27% | Thomas Allum | Republican | 3,858,517 | 26.61% | Others | Independent | 17,401 | 0.12% | |||
| U.S. Senate Election, 2010 | Wabash Valley | General | Jimmy Kennedy | Democrat | 4,485,600 | 50.40% | David Vithoulkas | Republican | 4,378,800 | 49.20% | Daniel Mallory | Independent | 35,600 | 0.40% | |||
| Assemblyman, 2007 | Illinois, 22nd District | General | Jimmy Kennedy | Democrat | 145,781 | 67.81% | Wallace Matteson | Republican | 69,079 | 32.13% | Others | Independent | 128 | 0.06% | |||
| Secretary of State, 2006 | Illinois | General | Jimmy Kennedy | Democrat | 676,798 | 45.12% | Tom Cross | Republican | 676,163 | 45.08% | Others | Independent | 147,039 | 9.8% | |||
| Assemblyman, 2003 | Illinois, 84th District | General | Jimmy Kennedy | Democrat | 55,871 | 53.21% | Larry Ehmen | Republican | 49,015 | 46.68% | Others | Independent | 116 | 0.11% | |||
| Assemblyman, 2001 | Illinois, 84th District | General | Jimmy Kennedy | Democrat | 47,433 | 49.93% | Tom Cross | Republican | 47,414 | 49.91% | Others | Independent | 149 | 0.16% | |||
| Attorney General, 2000 | Illinois | Democratic Primaries | Jimmy Kennedy | Democrat | 360,747 | 24.05% | Lisa Madigan | Democrat | 836,198 | 55.78% | Others | Democrat | 303,050 | 20.17% |
Political Succession
| Preceded by John Houston | Governor of the Midwest 2019-Present | Succeeded by Megaregionalization |
| Preceded by Angelina Rockefeller | Wabash Valley Senator (Class III) 2017-2019 | Succeeded by Charles Porter |
| Preceded by Thomas Allum | Governor of the Midwest 2013-2017 | Succeeded by Angelina Rockefeller |
| Preceded by Regionalization | Wabash Valley Senator (Class III) 2011-2013 | Succeeded by David Vithoulkas |
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