Kelli Ward

Kelli Ward

Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 5th district
In office
January 14, 2013 – December 15, 2015
Preceded by Ron Gould
Succeeded by Sue Donahue
Personal details
Born Kelli Kaznoski
(1969-01-25) January 25, 1969
Fairmont, West Virginia, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Michael Ward[1]
Children Three
Alma mater Duke University
West Virginia School of
Osteopathic Medicine
A.T. Still University, Arizona
Website Official website

Kelli Ward[2] (née Kaznoski; January 25, 1969) is an American politician and osteopathic physician. Ward was elected in 2012 to serve in the Arizona State Senate representing the fifth legislative district as a member of the Republican Party. While serving in office, she continued to practice medicine in the emergency department in Lake Havasu City and Kingman, Arizona.

Born in Fairmont, West Virginia, Ward is a graduate of Duke University, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and A.T. Still University, earning her degree in psychology, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, and public health, respectively. While in medical school, she met her husband Michael who served in the Arizona Air National Guard.

In 2012, Ward entered politics by running for a seat in the Arizona State Senate, and was unopposed for reelection in 2014. On July 14, 2015, she announced her candidacy for the United States Senate, challenging incumbent U.S. Senator John McCain in the Republican primary in the 2016 election.[3] On December 2, 2015, Ward announced her resignation from the State Senate in order to focus her efforts on the U.S. Senate race.[4]

In October of 2016, Ward announced that she will challenge Republican Senator Jeff Flake in the 2018 election.[5][6]

Education

Ward earned her BS in psychology from Duke University, her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and her master's degree in public health from A.T. Still University. At Duke University she was a contributor to the Duke Chanticleer.

Political career

When Republican Senator Ron Gould left the Legislature and left the District 5 seat open, Ward won the three-way August 28, 2012 Republican primary in a highly contested election with 9,925 votes (42.2%,) in a field which included State Representative Nancy McLain;[7] and won the November 6, 2012 general election with 49,613 votes (71.2%) against Democratic nominee Beth Weiser,[8] who had run for a Senate seat in 2010.

In an interview with Arizona's Yellow Sheet Report in 2012 she clarified her own stance on abortion. Calling on her experience as an osteopathic physician Kelli Ward said that she wanted the government to play no role in the decision to have an abortion.[9] "My preference would be that a patient and a doctor talk to each other about the risks, the benefits, what is the potential outcome for the mother should she choose to have a procedure like that," Kelli Ward said to the interviewer, "instead of having the government trying to make those decisions.”[9]

Ward ran for re-election in 2014, winning unopposed in both the primary and the general election.

In January 2014, Sen. Ward introduced the Arizona Fourth Amendment Protection Act, which would "ban the state from engaging in activities which help the NSA carry out their warrantless data-collection programs, or even make use of the information on a local level."[10][11]

United States Senate campaign

On July 14, 2015, State Senator Ward announced she would be entering the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Arizona, against long-time incumbent John McCain, who is viewed by many political analysts as a top target of the Tea Party movement and by other Republican conservatives. On December 2, 2015, Ward announced she would be resigning from the Arizona State Senate, effective December 15, in order to dedicate her time to running for the U.S. Senate. She was succeeded by Sue Donahue.[12] In August 2016, Ward lost the primary to McCain.[13]

Controversy

Ward and her husband Michael, August 2016

On July 11, 2016, Kelli Ward published an ad on her Facebook page outlining how John McCain, her primary opponent for the 2016 Republican Primary Senate election, is too friendly with Secretary Hillary Clinton. The ad outlined how they were nearly identical in their political beliefs. The point, the ad claims, is that "they agree" on a number of issues such as "amnesty for illegal immigrants," opposing President George W. Bush's tax cuts, a gasoline tax, and "blocking conservative judges." [14] The ad was an identical copy of a 2008 ad published by then Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. The difference between the two is that Kelli Ward replaced Mitt Romney's approval message at the end of the video with her own.[15] In response Romney's lawyers contacted Kelli Ward and her campaign ordering her to cease any further use of the ad, stating Romney for President did not authorize any use of the ad.[16]

In response, Ward's campaign did not dispute the similarities, telling reporters that "Mitt Romney got it right." Stephen Sebastian, Ward's spokesman added "If the shoe fits, wear it. The substance is still the same. Some things never change."[17]

Personal life

Ward is married to Michael Ward. The couple have three children together.[18]

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "Kelli Ward's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  3. ↑ Associated Press (July 14, 2015). "Arizona GOP lawmaker announces run against Sen. John McCain". KTAR. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Arizona Sen. Kelli Ward to resign from seat to focus on run against John McCain". KTAR. 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  5. ↑ Min Kim, Seung (October 27, 2016). "Kelli Ward aims to oust Flake in 2018". Politico. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ Bowman, Bridget (October 27, 2016). "Flake Gets 2018 Primary Challenge". Roll Call. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 4. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 6. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Morgan Chalfant (May 13, 2016). "'Pro-life' Republican candidate not always tough on abortion". Washington Free Beacon. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  10. ↑ Boldin, Michael (2013-11-21). "Arizona 4th Amendment Protection Act Introduced, Bans Help to NSA, use of Warrantless Data in Court | Tenth Amendment Center Blog". Blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  11. ↑ Amendment, Tenth (2013-12-09). "Arizona Legislation Tells NSA "You're Not Welcome Here"". Tenth Amendment Center. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  12. ↑ Pitzl, Mary Joe (2015-12-22). "Next lawmaker up: Sue Donahue is newest Arizona state senator". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "Kelli Ward puts her name on old Mitt Romney ad, uses it to attack John McCain". azcentral.
  15. ↑ "Claims of Plagiarism Over Campaign Ad". azfamily.
  16. ↑ "Cease and Desist Letter on Behalf of Romney for President to Kelli Ward".
  17. ↑ "Romney Sends Cease and Desist Letter to Ward Campaign".
  18. ↑

External links

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