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Kenneth McGurn
Kenneth McGurn was a 2016 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 3rd Congressional District of Florida.[1]
Biography
McGurn has spent most of his life in Florida, growing up in Daytona Beach. An Eagle Scout, he graduated from high school at age 16 and then entered college. Two years later, McGurn joined the United States Army and was appointed platoon leader. He went to Vietnam in 1965 and was promoted to captain at the age of 22. He ended his military career in 1970 after two years as an intelligence officer in Germany.
After leaving active duty, McGurn went back to college on the G.I. Bill, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in management from the University of Florida in 1972. He continued his education at the University of Florida College of Business, receiving an M.A. in 1973 in a Ph.D. in real estate and urban analysis in 1981.
McGurn is a registered real estate broker and certified community association manager in the state of Florida. He was also a state certified general contractor.[2][3]
Elections
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Ted Yoho (R) won re-election. He defeated Kenneth McGurn (D) and Tom Wells (I) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent in August.[1][4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Ted Yoho Incumbent |
56.6% | 193,843 | |
| Democratic | Kenneth McGurn | 39.8% | 136,338 | |
| Independent | Tom Wells | 3.7% | 12,519 | |
| Total Votes | 342,700 | |||
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | ||||
Campaign themes
2016
On July 12, 2016, McGurn sent the following statement to Ballotpedia regarding his political philosophy:[2]
| “ |
I have spent my life building my community and serving my country. When some said it was impossible, I took the lead in building a thriving cultural and economic center in downtown Gainesville. As a private citizen I have helped bring millions of dollars from Tallahassee and Washington to this community rebuilding streets, water and sewer lines and rundown buildings while creating hundreds and hundreds of jobs. Imagine what can be done if I am in congress focused on the serious needs of our community. Shutting down our government cost billions of dollars and lost jobs. That type of foolishness needs to stop. We have divided this country with hateful rhetoric long enough. We need to stop the childish bickering. It is no longer childish, it is deadly serious. As a Viet Nam veteran I am personally offended at the way our veteran’s are being treated. Budget cuts are cutting medical services to those who sacrificed for us. That is just not right. We cannot continue to hurt our veterans like this. We cannot privatize the medical care of all veterans. We have issues no one else understands. We fought and continue to fight for this country’s freedom. We sacrificed nights, weekends, and holidays standing guard for you. We stood in harm’s way. I have only seen lip service for veterans. I must to stand for my brother and sister veterans. [5] |
” |
| —Ken McGurn | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kenneth McGurn Florida Congress. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Florida's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016
- Florida's 3rd Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed June 25, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on July 12, 2016
- ↑ Ken McGurn for U.S. Congress, "About Ken," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Politico, " Florida House Races Results," August 30, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
