Kenneth Cody

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Kenneth Cody

Truth Vision Hope Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Associate

Middlesex County College, 1995

Personal

Birthplace

New Brunswick, N.J.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Kenneth Cody (Truth Vision Hope Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Cody completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

In 2020, Cody participated in a Candidate Conversation hosted by Ballotpedia and EnCiv. Click here to view the recording.

Biography

Kenneth Cody was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He earned an associate degree from Middlesex County College in 1995.

Elections

2020

See also: New Jersey's 12th Congressional District election, 2020

New Jersey's 12th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Democratic primary)

New Jersey's 12th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 12

Incumbent Bonnie Watson Coleman defeated Mark Razzoli, Robert Edward Forchion Jr., and Kenneth Cody in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 12 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bonnie Watson Coleman (D)	65.6	230,883
		Mark Razzoli (R)	32.6	114,591
	Submit photo	Robert Edward Forchion Jr. (Independent)	1.3	4,512
		Kenneth Cody (Truth Vision Hope Party)	0.5	1,739

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 351,725
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Stan Koshy (Independent)
• Zadok Rubin (People's Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 12

Incumbent Bonnie Watson Coleman defeated Lisa McCormick in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 12 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bonnie Watson Coleman	89.2	81,936
		Lisa McCormick	10.8	9,928

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 91,864
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 12

Mark Razzoli advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 12 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Razzoli	100.0	19,992

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,992
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Cody's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

2014

See also: New Jersey's 12th Congressional District elections, 2014

Cody ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 12th District. He lost to Bonnie Watson Coleman (D) in the general election. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

U.S. House, New Jersey District 12 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Bonnie Watson Coleman	61%	90,430
	Republican	Alieta Eck	36.5%	54,168
	Green	Steven Welzer	0.6%	890
	Truth Vision Hope	Kenneth Cody	0.4%	567
	Democratic-Republican	Allen Cannon	0.3%	450
	Legalize Marijuana	Don Dezarn	0.9%	1,330
	Start the Conversation	Jack Freudenheim	0.4%	531
Total Votes				148,366
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections

2012

See also: New Jersey's 12th Congressional District elections, 2012

Cody ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 12th District. Cody faced Rush D. Holt, Jr., Eric Beck and Jack Freudenheim in the general election on November 6.

U.S. House, New Jersey District 12 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Rush D. Holt, Jr. Incumbent	69.2%	189,926
	Republican	Eric Beck	29.5%	80,906
	Independent	Kenneth Cody	0.5%	1,305
	Independent	Jack Freudenheim	0.8%	2,261
Total Votes				274,398
Source: New Jersey Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Campaign themes

2020

Candidate Conversations

Moderated by journalist and political commentator Greta Van Susteren, Candidate Conversations is a virtual debate format that allows voters to easily get to know their candidates through a short video Q&A. Click below to watch the conversation for this race.

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kenneth Cody completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cody's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Kenneth Cody and I am running for Congress as an Independent candidate in New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. Currently I live in Lawrenceville, New Jersey with my wife Nicole and our son Colin. My passion for entering the race for Congress is to end the wasteful spending that goes on each election cycle. I believe we need strict campaign finance reform in elections. It is time to put an end to big money in politics. My campaign is self-funding and does not accept contributions or Political Action Committee money.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will put the people first not political party.
• End the reckless overuse of money in elections. I will support legislation that will put limits on contributions in campaigns.
• It is time for Medicare-for-All. Many Americans are under-insured or do not have medical coverage. Everyone should have a right to healthcare. Medicare-for-All is the answer and it will save more lives than the current system we use.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Need to end regime change wars - It has been almost twenty years of war in Afghanistan. Over 2,400 soldiers have lost their lives and over 20,000 have been wounded. It is time to return our brave men and women home. We also spend four billion dollars a month fighting this war. I would reinvest those funds and put them in programs like Medicare-for-all, education, clean energy.

Equal Pay - Today we still see unexplained wage differences between men and women. Salaries should not be based on sex. Women deserve the same pay scale as men. We need to put an end to this form of discrimination.

Healthcare needs to change - I believe Medicare-for-All would be the best option for all Americans. In many situations if you lose your job you also lose your health insurance. Medicare-for-All will still have you covered if that happens. I will support legislation in Congress to make this a reality.

Campaign Finance Reform - There is too much money in elections. We need to set strict limits on all races. Just because you raise the most money does not make you the best candidate for the position. In 2018 Congressional Candidates raised over $5.7 billion dollars. That needs to end. Money should not influence elections.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to people who keep fighting for what they believe in and never give up. I would like to follow in the footsteps of my family. Growing up my grandparents were great influence on me. They worked very hard to provide their family. I hope to bring that same work ethic and commitment in whatever I try to accomplish.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe that I would be loyal to the voters of my district and always listen to their issues and needs.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe the core responsibility for a member of Congress is always listen to the residents of your district and make good on your promises. Those two reasons are why the voters elected you to this position in the first place.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The most memorable historical event to me was when the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated Russia in the 1980 winter Olympics. I was eight years old at the time. It was such a huge upset and gave the entire nation something to cheer about. It also got me interested in hockey and many other sports.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was at a Halloween store as a cashier. Since it was seasonal it was only for three months.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The last song that got stuck in my head recently is Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". He is one of my favorite music artists of all time.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

The current system should be looked at. Right now every ten years we have redistricting done based on the census results. I would review this and get input from the voters from my district on what they believe would be fair.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The U.S. House of Representatives is a unique institution because it has the power to create laws and shape how our nation will look in the future. Also, the voters have the power to make changes every two years. It is a position where you can be employed for just one term or you can be there for years.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. I believe that the House of Representatives should be what it is named for - representing all Americans from all walks of life. Currently Congress has an approval rating around thirty percent. Many of those in Congress had previous experience in government. Now is the time to elect people outside of politics to office. They are the ones with unique perspectives and should be given a chance to serve.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

There are several challenges we are faced with, but we can overcome them. I believe that we need an overhaul of our current health care system. Everyone in our country deserves quality health care. We should implement Medicare-for-All. Many Americans have no health insurance while others are under- insured, and some lost their jobs and with it their employer offered insurance. Under Medicare-for-All everyone will be covered. It will cut insurance costs and, in the end, make our country healthier. We also must find an answer to climate change. The best to combat this is by changing to renewable sources of energy. Wind and solar power are a start. We can end the reliance on oil by switching over to using electric energy for cars. This will provide cleaner air and based on studies slow down climate change. By transitioning to this form of energy we will create more jobs.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Yes, if elected I believe I would be most effective in several committees such as Budget, Energy & Commerce, Elections, Natural Resources and Small Business committees.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I think a representative should get a four-year term. Currently a member of Congress only has two years and much of that time is busy fundraising for their next election. Two years in not enough time to make an impact.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe that term limits take the power away from the voter. The people should maintain that right to 'vote out' an elected official who is not doing their job. If an elected official is doing well and is popular with the voters a change should not take place. Our votes should have the final say on who is in office.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

The role I would play is to support Independent candidates who would like to run for political office. I believe we need more representation in Congress not just the two-party system. All political parties should work for the people not the party they belong to. That is the type of leadership I would hope to bring to Congress.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

There are two representatives I would try to model myself after. The first representative recently retired from Congress in 2015 his name is Rush Holt. I ran against him in 2010 and 2012 and had the chance to speak with him too. He was very popular with the voters and always seem be in touch with the residents in his district. The other representative currently is Tulsi Gabbard the Congresswoman from Hawaii's 2nd District. I think what Rep. Gabbard does is put people first not a political party. She stands up for what she believes in even though it might not always be in agreement with her party.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

The most impactful story I heard was from a visually impaired voter who had a difficult time on Election day casting their ballot. He was concerned that his vote was being not tabulated correctly and was unsure if the voting machines were up to date and working correctly. I thought there must be many others who think the same way. Starting as soon as possible we must ensure that all the votes are counted correctly. We need to invest in updating our voting machines to the latest technology. All voters need to have verification that their vote was processed successfully and for the correct person. Securing America's Elections Act (HR 1946) which has been introduced to Congress is a step in the right direction. Under this act "It would require the use of voter-verified paper ballots or a paper ballot backup in federal elections that if needed, can be audited and counted by hand, optical scanner, or similar device. It would establish voter-verified paper ballots as the correct record of the total votes cast, in the event of any inconsistencies or irregularities between electronic and paper vote tallies" (Source: "http://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-re-introduces-securing-america-s-elections-act"). I would also ensure that all polling places have a voting machine that will have audio ballot capability so that a visually impaired voter will be sure that their vote will be entered and processed successfully. Voting errors need to be eliminated or we may have many discrepancies which will always have us questioning our election results.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

Suggest a link

• Campaign website

Footnotes

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New Jersey's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Cory Booker (D)

Andrew Kim (D)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Norcross (D)

District 2

Jeff Van Drew (R)

District 3

Herbert Conaway (D)

District 4

Chris Smith (R)

District 5

Josh Gottheimer (D)

District 6

Frank Pallone (D)

District 7

Thomas Kean (R)

District 8

Robert Menendez (D)

District 9

Nellie Pou (D)

District 10

LaMonica McIver (D)

District 11

Mikie Sherrill (D)

District 12

Bonnie Coleman (D)

Democratic Party (11)

Republican Party (3)