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Mike Kennedy
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 3rd district
Assuming office January 3, 2025
Succeeding	John Curtis
Member of the Utah Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 5, 2021
Preceded by	Dan Hemmert
Constituency	14th district (2021–2023) 21st district (2023–present)
Member of the Utah House of Representatives from the 27th district
In office January 1, 2013 – January 1, 2019
Preceded by	John Dougall
Succeeded by	Brady Brammer
Personal details
Born	Michael Stevan Kennedy (1969-02-02) February 2, 1969 (age 55) Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Katrina
Children	8
Education	Brigham Young University (BS, JD) Michigan State University (MD)
Website	Campaign website

Michael Steven Kennedy (born February 2, 1969) is an American physician, attorney, and politician. He has served as a Republican member of the Utah Senate, representing District 21 since 2023. Prior to redistricting he represented District 14 starting in 2021. He previously served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. Kennedy was a candidate in the 2018 U.S. Senate election in Utah. He received the most votes at the Utah State Republican Convention but was defeated by Mitt Romney in the subsequent primary for the Republican nomination.

In June of 2024, Kennedy won the Republican nomination for Utah's 3rd congressional district with 39% of the vote in a crowded field of 5 candidates despite being outspent 5-1 and 2-1 by top two competitors. He had previously won the Utah Republican Party nominating convention after six rounds of voting.

Early life and career

Kennedy earned his BS from Brigham Young University. While a student at BYU Kennedy took two years off to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He earned his MD from Michigan State University, and his JD from Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School while taking law classes at night and running his medical practice during the day. Kennedy lives in Alpine, Utah, where he works as a family doctor for Premier Family Medical Group.

Political career

When District 27 incumbent Republican Representative John Dougall ran for state auditor and left the seat open, Kennedy was selected as one of two candidates from five by the Republican convention for the June 26, 2012 Republican primary which he won with 2,586 votes (52.9%) and won the November 6, 2012 general election with 14,335 votes (92.1%) against Constitution candidate Scott Morgan.

During the 2014 general election, Kennedy faced Democratic nominee William McGree, winning with 6,997 votes (88.4%).

During the 2016 legislative session, Kennedy served on the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee, the House Health and Human Services Committee, and the House Political Subdivisions Committee.

On March 9, 2018, Kennedy distributed a letter to members of District 27 announcing that he would not seek re-election for the Utah House of Representatives. He instead opted to run for the U.S. Senate. On April 22, 2018, Kennedy edged out Mitt Romney at the Republican Convention with 50.88% of the delegate votes. Romney came in a close second with 49.12%, allowing both to compete in the primary on June 26, 2018, but Kennedy would lose the primary to Mitt Romney.

Kennedy drew attention as a vocal supporter of gun rights, even meeting with UtahGunExchange.com, a private gun exchange who would later have a presence at March For Our Lives near the Utah Capitol and the 2018 Chicago Peace March and Rally, where their militaristic vehicle included a replica .50-caliber machine gun.

Kennedy announced his candidacy for Utah's 3rd congressional district on January 4th, 2024, two days after the districts Representative John Curtis announced his candidacy for the United States Senate.

References

1. "Mike Kennedy's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
2. https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/242992/Michael_Stephen_Kennedy.html
3. "Michael S. Kennedy (R)". Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah State Legislature. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
4. "Michael S. Kennedy". Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah House of Representatives. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
5. "Mitt Romney wins the GOP nomination in Utah's U.S. Senate race". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 26, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
6. "Election Results". electionresults.utah.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
7. Tomco, Brigham; Seariac, Hanna (April 27, 2024). "State Sen. Mike Kennedy wins 3rd Congressional District GOP nomination after 6 rounds of voting". Deseret News.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. Kennedy campaign bio
9. "Conflict of Interest Form" (PDF). Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah House of Representatives. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
10. "Michael S. Kennedy, M.D., J.D." Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Health Care. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
11. "2012 Primary Canvass Reports". Salt Lake City, Utah: Lieutenant Governor of Utah. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
12. "2012 General Canvass Report". Salt Lake City, Utah: Lieutenant Governor of Utah. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
13. "Committees". le.utah.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
14. "Mitt Romney fails to secure Utah GOP nomination, will face primary | CNN Politics". CNN. 22 April 2018.
15. "Mitt Romney comes in second place at Utah GOP convention, forced into primary". Retrieved 2018-04-22.
16. "Utah Republican delegates force Mitt Romney into a primary election with state lawmaker Mike Kennedy in the race for the U.S. Senate". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
17. "Gehrke: The guy behind Utah's school safety effort embraces the gun fringe, oh, and he's also running for Senate".
18. "Members of Utah gun group detained in Chicago during 'March For Our Lives' tour".
19. Beal-Cvetko, Bridger; Jan. 4, KSL com | Posted-; P.m, 2024 at 2:35. "State Sen. Mike Kennedy joins campaign for Rep. John Curtis' 3rd District seat". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2024-07-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
20. "US Rep. John Curtis announces Senate campaign to replace Sen. Mitt Romney". heraldextra.com. Retrieved 2024-07-09.

External links

• Official page Archived 2017-09-20 at the Wayback Machine at the Utah State Legislature
• Campaign site
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Mike Kennedy at Ballotpedia
• Mike Kennedy at the National Institute on Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN

v t e Members of the United States House of Representatives from Utah
Territorial (1851–1895)	Seat Bernhisel Hooper Bernhisel Kinney Hooper G. Cannon Caine Rawlins F. Cannon
One at-large seat (1895–1913)	Seat Allen W. King Sutherland Howell
Two at-large seats (1913–1915)	Seat Howell Seat Johnson
Districts (1915–present) (3rd district established in 1983) (4th district established in 2013)	1st district Howell Welling Colton Murdock Granger Stringfellow Dixon Peterson Burton McKay Hansen Bishop Moore 2nd district Mays Leatherwood Loofbourow Robinson Dawson Bosone Dawson D. King Lloyd D. King Lloyd W. Owens Howe Marriott Monson W. Owens Shepherd Greene Waldholtz Cook Matheson Stewart Maloy 3rd district Nielson Orton C. Cannon Chaffetz Curtis Kennedy (elect) 4th district Matheson Love McAdams B. Owens

• 1969 births
• 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• 21st-century members of the Utah Legislature
• American physicians
• Brigham Young University alumni
• Candidates in the 2018 United States Senate elections
• J. Reuben Clark Law School alumni
• Latter Day Saints from Michigan
• Latter Day Saints from Utah
• Living people
• Michigan State University alumni
• People from Alpine, Utah
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Utah
• Republican Party members of the Utah House of Representatives
• Utah lawyers