Jesse Kelly

Jesse Kelly

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Jesse Kelly is a conservative commentator. As of August 2021, he hosted the radio program "The Jesse Kelly Show" and the digital TV show "I’m Right with Jesse Kelly."

Kelly (Republican Party) ran for election in 2012 to represent Arizona's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House. He withdrew before the Republican primary on August 28, 2012.

Also in 2012, Kelly ran in the special election for Arizona's 8th Congressional District. He won in the Republican primary on April 17 and lost in the June 12 general election.

In 2010, Kelly ran for election to represent Arizona's 8th Congressional District. He won in the Republican primary on August 24 and lost in the November 2 general election.

Biography

Kelly was born in Steubenville, Ohio. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2000, deployed to Iraq in 2003, and was honorably discharged in 2004. Kelly then returned to his family's construction business in Arizona as a project manager.

In 2018, Kelly began hosting "The Jesse Kelly Show" on KPRC Radio in Houston, Texas. The show became nationally syndicated by Key Networks in 2020 and by Premiere Networks in 2021. As of 2021, Kelly also hosted the show "I’m Right with Jesse Kelly" on The First TV.

Elections

2012

Regular election

See also: Arizona's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012

Kelly ran in the 2012 election for Arizona's 2nd Congressional District. He withdrew before the Republican primary on August 28, 2012.

Special election

See also: Arizona's 8th Congressional District special election, 2012

Kelly ran in the 2012 special election for Arizona's 8th Congressional District. The election was held to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D), who resigned in January 2012. Kelly won in the Republican primary on April 17, 2012. He was defeated by Ron Barber (D) in the general election on June 12, 2012.

U.S. House, Arizona District 8 Special Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ron Barber	52.3%	111,204
	Republican	Jesse Kelly	45.4%	96,465
	Green	Charlie Manolakis	2.3%	4,869
Total Votes				212,538

2010

Kelly ran in the 2010 election for Arizona's 8th Congressional District. He won in the Republican primary on August 24, 2010. He was defeated by incumbent Gabrielle Giffords (D) in the general election on November 2, 2010.

U.S. House, Arizona District 8 General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gabrielle Giffords Incumbent	48.8%	138,280
	Republican	Jesse Kelly	47.3%	134,124
	Libertarian	Steven Stoltz	3.9%	11,174
Total Votes				283,578

Campaign themes

2012

Campaign website

Kelly's campaign website stated the following:

“

Jobs and Economy The recent economic crisis must be a wake-up call for the US Government to end its incessant spending and regulatory vice-grip over the economy. Only free markets and the entrepreneurial spirit can save America, not the heavy hand of government. Rebuilding our economy is the moral challenge of our time, and good paying jobs lay the foundation for American greatness. Restoring our economy begins with getting Washington out of the way and inviting businesses back to American soil. For too long, politicians in Washington implemented big-government policies that pushed businesses overseas. It’s time we bring them back with open arms. We must stop punishing success and work to reduce personal income taxes, investment taxes and business-ownership taxes. The tax and spend mentality that controls Washington will bring about the collapse of the US economy and we need to stop this Administration in the upcoming elections. The $787 billion stimulus has failed, and unemployment in Southern Arizona has increased. The people of the United States are realizing that government cannot create jobs, as government has no resources of its own. Only the private sector can create jobs and better our standard of living through production and innovation. No company or industry is too big to fail, and the government should have never enacted TARP or any other bailout schemes. In its quest to save companies that it deems too big to fail, it has become clear that Washington feels that some businesses are too small to care about. The big government schemes of taxing and spending thrown upon us by out of touch liberals in Washington has failed. It is time for real business solutions to get the economy moving again and create stable, high paying jobs in both Southern Arizona and throughout the nation. National Debt and Government Spending The current administration has taken this country to the brink of financial ruin with their reckless deficits and spending programs. These policies amount to a generational theft from our children and grandchildren. We must return to a path of fiscal sanity. Washington must do what the American people are doing: cutting spending, paying down debt and living within their means. Preserving Social Security and Medicare I support preserving, protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare. I do not support privatizing, eliminating or phasing out these programs in any way. I will fully honor our commitment to current retirees and will not support any plan that impacts their benefits. We must also ensure these programs are preserved for future retirees. The first thing we can do to protect Medicare is repeal ObamaCare, which cuts $500 billion from Medicare and empowers a board of unelected bureaucrats to make decisions that could deny care and increase costs. Unfortunately, the plan endorsed by President Obama and Ron Barber in this congressional race is to let Medicare go bankrupt, and that is simply unacceptable. We cannot allow these safeguards to go bankrupt by failing to preserve and protect them. The Social Security Trustees have said that the program is going bankrupt. I believe Social Security is a sacred bond with our seniors and is a promise that must be kept. We must find a way to solve this problem so that every senior in our country has the retirement security they deserve. I think the only way to approach this is in a bipartisan way. Too often politics gets in the way of solutions to big problems like this. I have five principles for strengthening and protecting Social Security: 1. Any solution must be bipartisan 2. I will not vote for any solution that privatizes social security 3. I will not vote for any solution that raises taxes 4. I will not vote for any solution that cuts benefits 5. I will not vote for any solution that raises the retirement age Health Care I oppose Obama-care and the rationing of health care. We must reform tort laws to lower health care costs for all Americans. I support a "health care court" in lieu of the current lottery system that encourages egregious lawsuits in order to stop defensive medicine and rising malpractice costs. The FDA needs to be restructured in order to lower the cost of life-saving pharmaceutical drugs. I support an increase in the amount allowed into tax-free health savings accounts. We should enable insurance companies to sell health insurance across state lines, as they do car and life insurance. We should allow small businesses to band together in order to increase their purchasing power and reduce their costs. We need to crack down on Medicare and Medicaid fraud, saving us hundreds of millions a year. Finally, we should allow individuals to be able to pay for insurance premiums through their own private, health savings accounts, with the same type of tax incentives that corporations have. Protecting Taxpayers In these difficult economic times, we need leaders who will fight Washington’s out-of-control spending habits. Southern Arizona families have to balance their budgets every day, and it’s time Washington did the same. Washington doesn’t have a revenue problem – it has a spending problem, which is why I will fight to keep taxes low for Arizona families. I would not support any tax reform plan that raises taxes on our families and small businesses. I oppose any tax increases on everyday items like groceries, gas or medicine. I support reforming our tax code by getting rid of special interest loopholes and the crony capitalism that is part of the system. I do not support the elimination of corporate taxes at the expense of American families. The bottom line is every Arizonian is hurt when the government gets bigger and has more of our hard-earned tax dollars. Border We must secure the border now! District 8 contains three border counties. The trafficking and violence in these areas are having a very negative impact on the district. We must address this issue in order to reduce the threat to our domestic security and to protect our sovereignty. I am a strong advocate for completing the double-layer border fence along the US-Mexico border. I do not support public benefits for those who are here illegally. I strongly support employer sanctions and Arizona’s new law, SB 1070. I will fight to dramatically increase the number of Border Patrol agents. Until they can be hired, I support deploying 10,000 troops in an active enforcement mode among the border. The troops would be drawn down as the fence is completed and more Border Patrol agents finish training. It is premature to discuss any kind of guest worker program until the border is fully secured but I can clearly state that I will never support amnesty for those who have illegally entered the United States. Military and Veterans As a United States Marine Corps combat veteran, Jesse Kelly has a unique understanding of the experience that undergoes our nation’s heroes. We must continue to support expanded and modernized medical, educational and occupational services for our veterans. Cost of living adjustments and improved facility funding, along with updated diagnostic medicine and occupational services are fundamental necessities for the more than 95,000 veterans residing in Arizona’s Eighth District. With the Congress currently containing the fewest number of veterans serving in US history, it is of utmost importance that we send new leaders to Washington who have worn the uniform and fought to defend our freedoms from tyranny. Those who are currently veterans have the best understanding of the needs of others who have served. As a combat veteran, Jesse Kelly also understands how important TRICARE is for our military families and veterans and is committed to protecting the benefits they earned fighting for America and ensuring our freedom. Unfortunately, under ObamaCare, more than 200,000 Arizonans on TRICARE could see their access to care reduced. That’s just one of the reasons Jesse supports a full repeal of ObamaCare. Democrats want to fund their takeover of healthcare on the backs of America’s bravest men and women. We already know ObamaCare cut $500 billion from Medicare. Additionally, ObamaCare instituted the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which empowers a panel of government bureaucrats to make decisions that could deny care and increase costs. Local groups opposed to this board include: the Arizona BioIndustry Association, the Arizona Medical Association, the Arizona Podiatric Medical Association and the Arizona Urological Society. The latest budget proposal from President Obama and Washington Democrats calls for dramatic increases in TRICARE fees and copays in an effort to drive military families and veterans off of TRICARE and onto ObamaCare. This is unacceptable, and Jesse opposes this move. Southern Arizona is home to two major military installations – Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca – and this is a vital issue for our community. The only way to stop these cuts and protect TRICARE is repeal ObamaCare. Second Amendment The Second Amendment simply spells out a fundamental freedom that is already granted to each one of us by our Creator. I fully support the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. Energy Jesse Kelly’s American Energy Plan Washington’s current energy policies are hurting families more than ever before. America needs an energy policy that will reduce the cost of energy, create jobs, and ensure our national security. We need to reduce government barriers and begin using American energy rather than sending our money and jobs overseas. 1. An “all of the above strategy” Washington tries to pick winners and losers and the taxpayers end up being the losers. We need an "all of the above" strategy with regard to energy, including but not limited to: oil, natural gas, clean coal, wind, solar, and nuclear power. While I support the development of alternative and renewable energy, I believe the free market should dictate how and when these sources are brought to market, not the heavy hand of the government. Unfortunately, Washington wasted $500 million of our tax dollars on the solar company Solyndra, which went bankrupt and laid-off its employees – a clear example of why central planning does not work to grow an economy. 2. Build the Keystone XL Pipeline President Obama blocked the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have produced thousands of new jobs in the United States. Instead, those jobs and resources are going to China. I support building the pipeline in order to bring jobs and energy to America. 3. Access American Energy America has vast reserves of energy that are being withheld from use because of political agendas. Developing these resources would lower energy costs, lower our dependency on foreign sources, and increase domestic employment. I support developing our domestic resources in order to increase our economic and national security. 4. More Jobs for Americans Developing our domestic energy resources will create millions of new jobs for Americans and lower unemployment. Energy jobs are high-wage jobs with good benefits. It’s time to stop sending our money and jobs to countries that are not our friends and it’s time to start putting Americans back to work with good paying jobs. 5. Stop efforts to raise energy costs President Obama's national energy tax (Cap and Trade) that passed the House of Representatives would have further reduced our energy sources, destroyed jobs, and increased costs on Southern Arizona families. In Arizona, the average family would pay $1,000 more for energy under Obama’s plan, and we would have lost as many as 40,000 jobs. These policies are the opposite of what we need to be doing in this country, as families are struggling with surging prices at the pump. Increasing energy costs is wrong and will only further damage our economy. I will vote against Obama’s energy tax. These common-sense reforms will create millions of new jobs, lower the cost of gas, reduce our power bills, lessen our dependence on foreign oil and strengthen our national security. Education The purpose of an education system should be to teach our children the knowledge and skills they will need to live as free and productive citizens. We should start focusing on how to best accomplish this and worrying less about whether the building is publicly or privately owned. I support school choice efforts and home schooling in addition to a well funded and effective public school system. National Defense We live in a time when our enemies test nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles capable of reaching American interests. Terrorists continue to plot attacks against America and her interests. We must fully fund our nation's military and ensure the men and women in uniform have the tools, training, and care they need and deserve. Our government has a constitutional obligation to protect its citizens. Border security needs to be a top National Defense priority. I am committed to fully funding vital military systems such as missile defense and upgrading our fighter and bomber fleets. Sanctity of Human Life I support and will defend life from conception to natural end.

”

Campaign finance summary

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Personal

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Kelly and his wife, Aubrey, have two children.

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Footnotes

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Arizona's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ruben Gallego (D)

Mark Kelly (D)

Representatives

District 1

David Schweikert (R)

District 2

Eli Crane (R)

District 3

Yassamin Ansari (D)

District 4

Greg Stanton (D)

District 5

Andy Biggs (R)

District 6

Juan Ciscomani (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

Abraham Hamadeh (R)

District 9

Paul Gosar (R)

Republican Party (6)

Democratic Party (4)

Vacancies (1)