Pat Kenny

**Patrick "Pat" Donal Kenny** (born December 12, 1955) is an American politician who is currently serving as the Junior United States Senator for the Midwest District.

Kenny was an original Founder of MGI, signatory of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the Constitutional Assembly. He has served as the Governor of Pennsylvania, before being elected to the United States Senate at the 2014 Midterm Elections, defeating incumbent Democratic Senator Lisa Nandy.

He also serves as the MGI Commissioner of Recruitment, and as Secretary of the Republican National Committee.

## Early life and education

Kenny was born to Irish immigrant parents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1970. Upon graduating High School in 1983, he moved to the Republic of Ireland and to attend higher education. He graduated from Mary Immaculate College in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Irish and Mathematics. He briefly worked as a secondary school teacher in Ireland, before moving to Wisconsin in 1989.

A few weeks after settling down in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kenny founded the Wisconsin Gaelic League to promote the use of the Irish language among diaspora. He found employment teaching mathematics in a local high school.

## Electoral History

Kenny joined the Wisconsin Republican Party in 1989, and was elected to the Milwaukee County Board in 1990. He was selected by the party to run for the US House of Representatives in 1992, but was defeated by Michael Dayton.

He spent much of the next two decades in education, before moving to Pennsylvania in 2010. He became Chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party in 2011, and announced his candidacy for the Pennsylvanian Gubernatorial Special Election later that year. He was elected unopposed.

In November 2013, he announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the upcoming United States Senate race for the Northeast District. He won the nomination unopposed, and found himself facing incumbent Democrat Senator Lisa Nandy in November 2014. Kenny won the tight race with 52% of the vote, becoming the first Republican to represent the Northeast since Casey Booker left office in 2011.

## Governor of Pennsylvania

After becoming Governor of Pennsylvania, Kenny quickly established himself as a moderate conservative legislator. He introduced a new State Constitution, which overhauled the State's role in government. Kenny remarked at its announcement that:

**"This constitution restores traditional values, and ultimately takes the government out of the lives and out of the pockets of its citizens."**

The Constitution enshrined same-sex marriage as a constitutional right, placed strict limitations on abortion, and entrusted the state with the responsibility of providing free emergency healthcare and primary education.

On January 30th 2014, Kenny announced the passage of the Pennsylvanian Education Reform Act which used a combination of federal and state funds to invest in education infrastructure. It legislated for the constitutional promise of free K-12 education, including tuition fees, lunch expenses, books, and school supplies. The Act also provided for a new state higher-level education loans, one of the most conservative tuition systems in the country.

On February 6th 2014, Kenny introduced the Industrial Relations Act 2014. This bill raised the State minimum wage to $11 per hour, placed stricter limits on work hours, and banned "if and when contracts". While these reforms were welcomed by trade unions, concerns were raised that the legislation did not go far enough. Specifically, public sector collective bargaining rights were restricted to increase efficiency, cut spending, and balance the state's budget. Despite AFL-CIO opposition, namely from President of the union Diana McLeod, the bill passed the state legislature and was signed into law.

When neighboring states declared emergencies due to the extreme weather conditions experienced in the Northeastern region before the 2014 Midterm Elections, Kenny returned from the campaign trail to sign an executive order offering Pennsylvanian resources including the State's national guard to its neighbors.

Kenny resigned as Governor in January 2015 to take up his seat in the United States Senate.

## United States Senate

Kenny was sworn into the United States Senate in January 2015, and has thus far introduced one piece of legislation, the Balanced Budget Amendment of 2015. It failed in the Senate Domestic Affairs Committee after failing to receive Democratic support.

## Personal life

Pat Kenny married his wife in 1999, who he met through the Pennsylvanian Gaelic League. The couple have 2 kids together. Kenny is known to enjoy cycling, rowing, and for his proficiency in public speaking and debating. He is a fan of the United States and Philadelphia Union soccer teams, and is a frequent visitor to Subaru Park.