Kelli Ward

Kelli Ward
Ward speaking at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference
Member of the Arizona Senate from the 5th district
In office January 14, 2013 – December 15, 2015
Preceded by	Ron Gould
Succeeded by	Sue Donahue
Personal details
Born	Kelli Kaznoski (1969-01-25) January 25, 1969 Fairmont, West Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Michael Ward
Children	Three
Alma mater	Duke University West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine A.T. Still University, Arizona
Website	Official website

Kelli Ward (née Kaznoski; January 25, 1969) is an American politician and osteopathic physician. Ward was elected in 2012 to serve in the Arizona State Senate representing the fifth legislative district as a member of the Republican Party. While serving in office, she continued to practice medicine in the emergency department in Lake Havasu City and Kingman, Arizona.

Born in Fairmont, West Virginia, Ward is a graduate of Duke University, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and A.T. Still University, earning her degree in psychology, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, and public health, respectively. While in medical school, she met her husband Michael who served in the Arizona Air National Guard.

In 2012, Ward entered politics by running for a seat in the Arizona State Senate, and was unopposed for reelection in 2014. On July 14, 2015, she announced her candidacy for the United States Senate, challenging incumbent U.S. Senator John McCain in the Republican primary in the 2016 election. On December 2, 2015, Ward announced her resignation from the State Senate in order to focus her efforts on the U.S. Senate race.

In October 2016, Ward announced that she will challenge Republican Senator Jeff Flake in the 2018 election.

Education

Ward earned her BS in psychology from Duke University, her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and her master's degree in public health from A.T. Still University. At Duke University she was a contributor to the Duke Chanticleer.

Political career

When Republican Senator Ron Gould left the Legislature and left the District 5 seat open, Ward won the three-way August 28, 2012 Republican primary in a highly contested election with 9,925 votes (42.2%,) in a field which included State Representative Nancy McLain. She won the November 6, 2012 general election with 49,613 votes (71.2%) against Democratic nominee Beth Weiser, who had run for a Senate seat in 2010.

In an interview with Arizona's Yellow Sheet Report in 2012 she clarified her own stance on abortion. Calling on her experience as an osteopathic physician, Ward said that she wanted the government to play no role in the decision to have an abortion. Ward said, "My preference would be that a patient and a doctor talk to each other about the risks, the benefits, what is the potential outcome for the mother should she choose to have a procedure like that, instead of having the government trying to make those decisions.”

Ward ran for re-election in 2014, winning unopposed in both the primary and the general election.

In January 2014, Ward introduced the Arizona Fourth Amendment Protection Act, which would "ban the state from engaging in activities which help the NSA carry out their warrantless data-collection programs, or even make use of the information on a local level."

United States Senate campaign

See also: United States Senate election in Arizona, 2016

On July 14, 2015, Ward announced she would be entering the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Arizona, against long-time incumbent John McCain, who is viewed by many political analysts as a top target of the Tea Party movement and by other Republican conservatives. On December 2, 2015, Ward announced she would be resigning from the Arizona State Senate, effective December 15, in order to dedicate her time to running for the U.S. Senate. She was succeeded by Sue Donahue. In August 2016, Ward lost the primary to McCain.

Controversies

Claims of Plagiarism Over Campaign Ad

On July 11, 2016 Kelli Ward published an attack ad on her Facebook page outlining how John McCain, her primary opponent for the 2016 Republican Primary Senate election, is too friendly with Secretary Hillary Clinton. The ad outlined how they were nearly identical in their political beliefs. The point, the ad claims, is that "they agree" on a number of issues such as "amnesty for illegal immigrants," opposing President George W. Bush's tax cuts, on a gasoline tax, and on "blocking conservative judges." The ad was an identical copy of a 2008 attack ad published by then Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. The difference between the two is that Kelli Ward replaced Mitt Romney's approval message at the end of the video with her own. In response Romney's lawyers sent Kelli Ward and her campaign ordering her to Cease and Desist any further use of the ad, stating Romney for President did not authorize any use of the ad for her own purposes.

In response, Ward's campaign did not dispute the similarities, telling reporters that "Mitt Romney got it right."Stephen Sebastian, Ward's spokesman added "If the shoe fits, wear it. The substance is still the same. Some things never change."

Buyout By Obama Stimulus

In April 2009, the Whitehouse announced on their website nearly half a million taxpayer dollars would be sent to North Country HealthCare facilities in Arizona, with a focus on Lake Havasu City. During this time, Arizona U.S. Senate Candidate Kelli Ward’s Lakeview medical practice was failing financially, and she was unable to turn a profit. Her staff had all left, and she became a solo practitioner. Leaving Ward unable to afford or staff her 7,000 square foot medical building. She and her husband Michael Ward approached NorthCountry with an offer to sell Ward’s medical practice. NorthCountry took them up on the offer, and the transfer took six months providing her with the Obama Stimulus Funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. “They liked the fact that I already had an infrastructure in place, essentially a turn-key practice they could walk into. So they decided to acquire the practice and open a community health center in Lake Havasu earlier than they had originally planned,” Ward said in an interview with “The DO” in July 2012. After the acquisition, Ward continued working at the facility, saying it was “awesome” she now had a steady paycheck as well as paid vacation and paid CME. Following her short career in her bought out practice Ward started her political career. She is criticized for running as a "fiscally conservative woman" disavowing the Obama Stimulus after receiving direct financial benefits of the program.

Chemtrails conspiracy

On June 25, 2014, Ward, in response to concerns from a vocal minority, held a town hall meeting in Kingman, Arizona, part of the district she represents, to have an exchange about environmental quality, but also discussed the Chemtrail conspiracy theory. Ward also brought in a spokesperson from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to answer questions on soil and water quality, including questions concerning the Chemtrail theory. She was quoted after the meeting saying, "I'm not sure there's anything that Arizona can do, but it's good to get the information out." Her closing statement was "I have talked to legislators from at least the western states and I don't hear much from them with the level of concern I have within my district which is why I wanted to put this together for you. I am willing to continue this conversation, you can always email me at my Senate email or you can find me on Facebook. Kelli Ward. Kelli with an “i” because I care about the people. Thank you so much for coming and I look forward to hearing from you." Ward told KNTR radio on June 27, 2014 that it's her "responsibility to address the concerns" of the varied groups of her constituents and "a town hall made sense." Ward, however, also stated in an interview in March 2015, "I don't really have any opinions about 'chemtrails' one way or the other. I think that environmental quality, though, is very important."

Support of Cliven Bundy

On April 15, 2014, Ward traveled to Mesquite, Nevada to support Cliven Bundy in his standoff with the Bureau of Land Management. Most other former supporters of Bundy had already condemned him for his racist remarks against Mexicans and African Americans.

Defense of Donald Sterling

Ward also defended disgraced Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million by the league after private recordings of him making racist comments were made public. Ward stated that he had a right to free speech under the first amendment, and should not have lost his ownership of the team.

Attempt to Prohibit National Security Agencies From Operating In Arizona

Primarily targeting the National Security Administration following information leaked by Edward Snowden, Kelli Ward introduced legislation in the Arizona Senate on January 22, 2014 to curtail some of their operations. However, the legislation was more broad prevent most intelligence work in the state not allowing the collection of any security data or otherwise needed information. She is quoted in a Tenth Amendment Center press release "I want them to know the NSA isn't welcome in Arizona unless it follows the Constitution... Without that, the rest becomes irrelevant." According to the Tenth Amendment Center, this includes "barring government-owned utilities from providing water and electricity" to any NSA facilities, although there aren't any in Arizona. The legislation became laughable when Kelli Ward said she hoped it would lead to "barring government-owned utilities from providing water and electricity" to any NSA facilities, although there aren't any in Arizona. In essence the legislation Kelli Ward introduced would ban intelligence agencies from operating in Arizona and is understood by the opposition that, if it were passed,it would leave Arizonans vulnerable to attack from terrorists, contributing to its ultimate failure in the State Senate.

Support of Nohl Rosen

Nohl Rosen has become a controversial figure in Arizona politics in recent years. His initial public debut was under his Cat Galaxy radio station, "the only radio station for cats." Within the past several years he has staged many controversial rallies and protests that have drawn wide media attention. Nohl is known for organizing 'pro-police' rallies that frequently flair up into confrontation. January, 2015 he organized a rally to oppose a separate protest however the instance flared and both himself and fellow protestors clashed with police in a published video. August 8, 2015, Nohl organized a protest including the use of a large Confederate flag in response to the shooting death of Michelle Cusseaux. Videos, show the protest Nohl organized get heated with passerby as well as police. “The Confederate flag is not a racist flag; it’s a part of our history,” Nohl Rosen says, “You can’t erase history. They’re trying to erase history and re-create it to an image they want.” Nohl’s support of this symbol escalated in a separate heated protest outside a Walmart he had organize to show anger for their decision to no longer sell the flag.

Most notably, Nohl organized an armed and heated protest outside a Phoenix mosque in May, 2015. According to the Arizona Republic, the Facebook page Rosen runs told protesters to bring American flags and firearms to protest Islam, leading counter-protesters to the scene in what many feared could become a dangerous conflict.

When Kelli Ward announced her candidacy for the Senate seat occupied by Sen. John McCain, Nohl Rosen had pledged support for her. In a published video he made while at a pro-police rally, he formally endorsed Kelli Ward for United States Senate. In response, Ward supported Rosen by attending his Back the Badge rally February 27, 2016, less then a year after his anti-Islam Mosque protest. In addition, Kelli Ward and her husband Michael Ward continue to embrace Nohl Rosen and have repeatedly retweeted him. Ward has shown no sign of having the intention to denounce Nohl Rosen or any of his controversial remarks.

Conspiracy Radio Appearances

Despite being dubbed “ChemTrail Kelli” by the campaign for John McCain, she has continued to appear on fringe radio programs. In March 2016 she appeared on Alex Jones’, a 9/11 truther, radio program to drum up support and ask his listeners for donations. On the show she didn't deny her belief in chemtrails but furthered her position as they talked about Alex’s belief that Prince and Merle Haggard were both killed by chemtrails. They went on and talked about how Alex feared for her safety from Senator John McCain who he described as “such a gangster”. Kelli Ward affirmed this belief saying “I’ve had people who have told me that I should get an auto starter on my car, that I should never be starting my own car… But we are very cautious and I always have people around me who are providing security, which is great.”

Agenda 21

In 2013 Kelli Ward has attempted to pass legislation which she co-sponsored to counter famed Agenda 21. The legislation, Senate Bill 1403, had failed in its attempt since it would broadly ban the state from following any sustainability quoting “"the state of Arizona and all political subdivisions of this state shall not adopt or implement the creed, doctrine, principles or any tenet of the United Nations Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the Statement of Principles for Sustainable Development”. After several rebuttals to the bill being so broad that it would face legal conflict, Republican Senator Kelli Ward suggested it's because they have been "rewarded" by the federal government and "other entities" for implementing Agenda 21. The argument against the bill argued that this legislation would not only hinder but outlaw any actions deemed “Sustainable” including publicly supported water and energy conservation.

Ward and her husband Michael, August 2016

Personal life

Ward is married to Michael Ward. The couple have three children.

External links

• Official page at the Arizona State Legislature
• Campaign site