Anthony Kern

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Anthony Kern
Anthony Kern by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 20th[1] district
In office
January 5, 2015 – January 11, 2021
Serving with Shawnna Bolick
Preceded byCarl Seel
Succeeded byJudy Schwiebert
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceGlendale, Arizona
Alma materNorthern Arizona University
ProfessionPrivate Investigator
Websitevotekern.com

Anthony Kern[2] is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 20 since January 5, 2015. In 2016, Kern sponsored legislation to eliminate "free speech zones" on college and university campuses campuses, thus allowing free expression campus-wide.[3] In 2017, Kern sponsored a bill to make it a misdemeanor to be a passenger in an automobile without an ID.[4]

Education[]

Kern earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Northern Arizona University.[1] He also graduated from Glendale Community College's Law Enforcement Training Academy, but he is not a certified peace officer.[5]

Elections[]

  • 2016 Anthony Kern and Paul Boyer were unopposed in the Republican primary.[6] They defeated Democrat Chris Gilfillan on November 8. Kern was the second vote getter in the election with 39,118 votes.[7]
  • 2014 Anthony Kern and Paul Boyer defeated Amy Schwabenlender on November 4. Kern received 23,799 votes.[8]

Lying controversy[]

In 2014 Kern was fired from the El Mirage Police Department for lying to a superior about a lost tablet.[5] His name was added to a "Brady List" of dishonest officers. As a legislator, he tried pass a law that would remove his name from the List, without informing the sponsor that it would apply to him. After it was disclosed that the bill was for Kern's benefit, House Bill 2671 was amended to eliminate the provisions that would have helped him.[9]

2020 lawsuit[]

In late 2020, Kern joined U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert and several other plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in federal district court against Vice President Mike Pence, seeking to overturn parts of the federal Electoral Count Act and prevent electoral votes for President-Elect Joe Biden from being counted in Congress.[10]

2021 storming of the United States Capitol[]

Kern lost his last election and was scheduled to leave office on January 10, 2021. On January 6, 2021 he attended the January 6, Stop the Steal rally in Washington DC. Kern posted a video to his Twitter account which showed his attendance of the event, and in which he stated: "I will put politics aside if I never win another election. Trump, every time I heard him on TV, it was like he was my friend. Why? Because here's the President of the United States who was sticking up for little old me."[11]

Recount[]

In April 2021 Kern was among the people helping to count and inspect ballots as part of the 2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit ordered by the state Senate, though the contract for the audit said that the ballot counters would be nonpartisan.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Anthony Kern". Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  2. ^ "Anthony Kern's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  3. ^ Fischer, Howard (May 31, 2016). "Bill would ban college free speech zones". Arizona Capitol Times. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  4. ^ Santos, Nico (February 4, 2017). "Car passengers would have to carry ID under new bill". KPNX. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Flaherty, Joseph (March 5, 2019). "Fired From Police Job for Lying, Arizona Lawmaker Tried to Help Cops Who Lie". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  6. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 Primary Election Aug. 30, 2016" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. September 12, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  7. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 General Election November 8, 2016" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  8. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2014 General Election - November 4, 2014" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona Secretary of State. December 1, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Roberts, Laurie (March 8, 2019). "Rep. Anthony Kern secretly tried to change the law to get his name off a list of liars". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "COMPLAINT FOR EXPEDITED DECLARATORY AND EMERGENCY INJUNCTIVE RELIEF" (PDF). Election Law at Ohio State. December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Scanlon, Tom (January 16, 2021). "Kern tweets about going to the Capitol". The Glendale Star.
  12. ^ Randazzo, Ryan; Oxford, Andrew (April 30, 2021). "Former Rep. Anthony Kern, a Stop the Steal backer, now counting your ballots". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 6, 2021.

External links[]

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