{{Short description|American politician (born 1959)}} {{other people}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Ken Bennett |image = Ken Bennett by Gage Skidmore 4.jpg |state_senate1 = Arizona |district1 = 1st |term_start1 = January 9, 2023 |term_end1 = January 13, 2025 |predecessor1 = [[Karen Fann]] |successor1 = [[Mark Finchem]] |office2 = 19th [[Secretary of State of Arizona]] |governor2 = [[Jan Brewer]] |term_start2 = January 26, 2009 |term_end2 = January 5, 2015 |predecessor2 = [[Jan Brewer]] |successor2 = [[Michele Reagan]] |office3 = President of the [[Arizona Senate]] |term_start3 = January 2003 |term_end3 = January 2007 |predecessor3 = [[Randall Gnant]] |successor3 = [[Tim Bee]] |state_senate4 = Arizona |district4 = 1st |term_start4 = January 1999 |term_end4 = January 2007 |predecessor4 = [[Carol Springer]] |successor4 = [[Tom O'Halleran]] |birth_name = Kenneth Roy Bennett |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|8|1}} |birth_place = [[Tucson, Arizona]], U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |education = [[Yavapai College]]<br />[[Arizona State University|Arizona State University, Tempe]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]]) |website = {{URL|kenbennett.com|Official website}} }} '''Kenneth Roy Bennett''' (born August 1, 1959) is an American politician. A member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], he was a member of the [[Arizona Senate]] from 2023 to 2025. He previously was a member of the state Senate from 1999 to 2007, and president of the state Senate from 2003 to 2007. He was [[Secretary of State of Arizona]] from 2009 to 2015. He unsuccessfully ran for [[governor of Arizona]] in the [[2014 Arizona gubernatorial election|2014]] and [[2018 Arizona gubernatorial election|2018 elections]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/04/21/ken-bennett-former-secretary-state-challenge-gov-doug-ducey-gop-primary/539325002/|title=Ken Bennett, former Secretary of State, to challenge Gov. Doug Ducey in GOP primary|first=Richard|last=Ruelas|website=The Arizona Republic}}</ref>
==Early life== Ken Bennett was born in [[Tucson, Arizona]].<ref name="aslegislature">{{Cite web |url=http://www.azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=2&Legislature=46&Session_ID=76 |title=Arizona State Legislature: Ken Bennett |access-date=February 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225025813/http://www.azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=2&Legislature=46&Session_ID=76 |archive-date=February 25, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His parents moved to [[Prescott, Arizona|Prescott]] shortly thereafter, where he was raised and later graduated from [[Prescott High School (Arizona)|Prescott High School]].<ref name="aslegislature"/> Upon graduation, Bennett served a two-year [[Missionary (LDS Church)|mission]] in southern Japan, and remains an active member of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].<ref name="aslegislature"/>
In 1981, he graduated from [[Yavapai College]] under the President's Scholarship.<ref name="aslegislature"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.yc.edu/v5content/alumni/directory.htm |title=Yavapai College: Alumni Directory |access-date=February 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221202822/http://www.yc.edu/v5content/alumni/directory.htm |archive-date=February 21, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He then transferred to [[Arizona State University]] (ASU) in [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]], graduating with [[Bachelor's]] in Accounting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cronkitezine.asu.edu/fall2004/alumnipolitcians.html|title=ASU Alumni Politicians|website=cronkitezine.asu.edu|access-date=July 2, 2021|archive-date=July 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702015846/http://cronkitezine.asu.edu/fall2004/alumnipolitcians.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="sonoranewsgovernor">Linda Bentley, [http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2014/140806/news-governor.html Field of six vying for governor in Republican Primary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205104552/http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2014/140806/news-governor.html |date=December 5, 2021 }}, ''[[Sonoran News]]'', August 6, 2014</ref>
==Business career== Bennett began work for Bennett Oil Company, a fuel distribution business in northern [[Arizona]], in 1984.<ref name="aslegislature"/> Initially working in finance, Bennett eventually inherited the position of chief executive officer, where he remained until 2006.<ref name="aslegislature"/><ref name="sonoranewsgovernor"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=6805|title=Our Campaigns – Candidate – Ken Bennett|website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}</ref>
In addition, he sits on the board of directors for Global Building Systems Inc.,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gbsi-step.com/docs/newsletters/Newsletter%20Issue%207.pdf |title=Global Building Systems: Board of Directors |access-date=February 10, 2014 |archive-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221180310/http://www.gbsi-step.com/docs/newsletters/Newsletter%20Issue%207.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> a sustainable building systems company, as well as Treasurer on the board of directors of [[Cancer Treatment Centers of America]].
==Political career==
Bennett is an active member of Arizona Tea Party groups and regularly attends Tea Party events and meetings.
Bennett was elected to the Prescott City Council in 1985 and served as Mayor [[Pro Tem]] in 1988.<ref name="sonoranewsgovernor"/><ref>Ken Hedler, [http://www.countysupervisors.org/news/view_article.cfm?ID=282 Former Senator Ken Bennett bows out of congressional race] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223123727/http://www.countysupervisors.org/news/view_article.cfm?ID=282 |date=February 23, 2014 }}, ''The Daily Courier'', September 6, 2007</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/120185305/|title=14 Nov 1985, p. 22, Arizona Republic |website=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He served on the City Council until 1989.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://azsos.gov/about-office/secretaries-since-statehood/ken-bennett|title=Ken Bennett | Arizona Secretary of State|website=azsos.gov|access-date=August 26, 2018|archive-date=August 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826180739/https://azsos.gov/about-office/secretaries-since-statehood/ken-bennett|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was appointed to the Arizona State [[Board of education]] in 1992, serving as president in 1996 and 1998.<ref>[http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&ArticleID=48328 Editorial: Ken Bennett’s aspirations to serve as governor good news for Arizona] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223112830/http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&ArticleID=48328 |date=February 23, 2014 }}, ''[[Verde Independent]]'', May 29, 2012</ref> In 1998, he was elected to the [[Arizona State Senate]], serving four two-year terms, the second as Chairman of the Education Committee, and the third and fourth as [[President of the Senate]] (2003–2007).<ref name="aslegislature" />
When [[Jan Brewer]] ascended from [[Arizona Secretary of State]] to governor upon [[Janet Napolitano]]'s resignation to become [[United States Secretary of Homeland Security]], Bennett was selected as the new secretary of state, being sworn in on January 26, 2009.<ref name="sonoranewsgovernor"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Newton |first=Casey |author-link=Casey Newton |date=January 9, 2009 |title=Brewer picks Ken Bennett for sec. of state |url=https://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2009/01/09/20090109sos-appointment0109-ON-CP.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222025116/https://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2009/01/09/20090109sos-appointment0109-ON-CP.html |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |work=[[KPNX|12 News]]}}</ref> Upon completing that term, Bennett won election to a full term as secretary of state in the November 2010 with 59% of the vote.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.azsos.gov/Info/Bio.htm|title=Arizona Secretary of State biography|access-date=February 10, 2014|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222131731/http://www.azsos.gov/Info/Bio.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Contest of Obama's 2008 Election Qualifications and 2012 Attempt to Restrict Ballot Access== In 2012, as secretary of state, Bennett denied being a "[[Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories|birther]]" (a conspiracy theorist who believed that President Barack Obama was not a U.S. citizen), but nonetheless made national news when he requested Obama's birth certificate from the state of [[Hawaii]] as a prerequisite to listing Obama on that year's presidential ballot.<ref name=Weiner>Rachel Weiner, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/arizona-secretary-of-state-ken-bennett-satisfied-obama-was-born-in-united-states/2012/05/23/gJQAN1czkU_blog.html Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett satisfied Obama was born in United States] ''[[The Washington Post]]'', May 23, 2012</ref> Bennett said he had made at the "request of numerous constituents"; after Hawaii provided the verification, Bennett said he accepted that Obama was born in the United States.<ref name=Weiner/>
==2014 Governor's Race==
Bennett officially announced his intention to run for [[List of governors of Arizona|governor]] on November 12, 2013.<ref name="sonoranewsgovernor"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bennettarizona.com/news/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914151457/http://www.bennettarizona.com/news/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 14, 2010|title=Campaign website}}</ref> Bennett came in fourth in the six-way Republican primary, gaining 11.45% of the vote and losing to [[Doug Ducey]].<ref name=primaryresults>{{cite web|url=http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AZ/50936/139543/Web01/en/summary.html |title=Unofficial Results Primary Election |accessdate=August 28, 2014 |publisher=Arizona Secretary of State |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002100151/http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AZ/50936/139543/Web01/en/summary.html |archivedate=October 2, 2014 }}</ref>
==2016 Congress Run==
In 2015, Bennett announced his intention to run for Congress in Arizona's 1st Congressional district.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=71157 |title=Meet Congressional Dist. 1 candidate Ken Bennett - the Verde Independent - Cottonwood, Arizona |accessdate=August 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814184611/http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=71157 |archivedate=August 14, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2015/07/13/ken-bennett-congresss-run-district/30104585/|title=Bennett to run for Congress in 1st District|first=Mary Jo|last=Pitzl|website=The Arizona Republic}}</ref> He was endorsed by the [[Arizona Republic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2016/07/29/ken-bennett-endorsement/87699794/|title=Our View: Send a gentleman to Congress. Vote Bennett |author=Editorial Board|website=The Arizona Republic}}</ref> On August 30, 2016, he lost the Republican primary to Sheriff [[Paul Babeu]].
==2021 Senate Liaison to Arizona Audit==
In 2021, the Arizona state senate controlled by Republicans provided $150,000 for funding an [[2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit|audit of the 2020 election presidential results]] in [[Maricopa County]], with Bennett becoming a liaison between the contractors performing the audit, the state, and the county.<ref name=NYT>[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/us/arizona-vote-count-republicans.html Arizona Review of 2020 Vote Is Riddled With Flaws, Says Secretary of State], ''[[The New York Times]]'', Michael Wines, May 6, 2021, updated May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.</ref> In late July 2021, it was reported that Bennett had been "banned from entering the building where the recount process is ongoing, after he shared some data with experts that showed the results match the officially certified numbers in Maricopa County".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/arizona-gop-audit-director-barred-from-recount-after-sharing-data-supporting-trump-loss/ar-AAMw9Ns?ocid=msedgntp |title=Arizona GOP Audit Director Barred From Recount After Sharing Data Supporting Trump Loss|first1=Jason|last1=Lemon|publisher=[[Newsweek]]|website=www.msn.com|date=July 24, 2021}}</ref>
Bennett's January 6 "Political Prisoner" advocacy organization also held events, titled “What Happened at the Audit: A Town Hall Series with Ken Bennett,” aimed at “giving the public a chance to directly question one of the central figures in the Arizona Audit,” according to a press announcement from the organization, held at Scottsdale Studios owned by j <ref name="azmirror.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.azmirror.com/blog/bennett-headlining-audit-town-halls-with-group-that-organized-justice-for-j6-rallies/ | title=Bennett headlining "audit" town halls with group that organized "Justice for J6" rallies • Arizona Mirror }}</ref>
==January 6 "Political Prisoner" Advocacy Organization==
Bennett served as a chairman for the Look Ahead Group that advocates for [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|January 6th]] "political prisoners," with [[Matt Braynard]] who briefly worked on the data team for former president Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, and Julie Fisher, who worked on Trump's campaign in 2020.<ref name="azmirror.com"/>
== Personal life == He met his wife Jeanne at ASU, and the two were married in 1982.<ref name="aslegislature" /> They have three grown children – Ryan, Dana and Clifton – and two grandsons.<ref name="aslegislature" />
===Legal troubles involving son=== In 2005, Clifton, along with two others, were arrested and accused of "brooming" 18 middle-school aged boys in the [[buttocks]] area while they were clothed.<ref name="CliftonBrooming">{{cite news|last1=Innes|first1=Stephanie|date=May 13, 2006|title=Senator's son sentenced to jail|work=[[Arizona Daily Star]]|url=https://tucson.com/news/local/senator-s-son-sentenced-to-jail/article_f8afe4d2-029e-5ab8-b31f-f72fe18122ef.html|accessdate=November 25, 2019}}</ref> Witness reports on the "brooming" incidents ranged from the use of brooms to touch the boys' rectal areas, to holding one boy down while shoving a broomstick against his buttocks.<ref name="CliftonBrooming" />
As part of a plea deal that Clifton accepted in 2006, he was sentenced to spend 30 days in jail, in addition to probation and community service.<ref name="CliftonBrooming" />
Despite claims by the parents of some of the victims that the incidents constituted [[sexual abuse]],<ref name="CliftonPleaDeal">{{cite news|date=April 24, 2006|title=Did politics sway 'hazing gone wrong' case?|agency=[[Associated Press]]|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12467179|access-date=November 25, 2019}}</ref> prosecutors argued instead that the crimes were not sexually motivated, which a trial judge agreed.<ref name="CliftonEVT">{{cite news|last1=Grado|first1=Gary|date=May 13, 2006|title=Senator's son gets 30 days in jail for hazing|work=[[East Valley Tribune]]|url=https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/senator-s-son-gets-days-in-jail-for-hazing/article_dea24cc4-1df9-56db-a9b2-6988fb56da97.html|accessdate=November 25, 2019}}</ref>
Parents of some of the victims have criticized the outcome, decrying what they perceive as a lenient sentence and suggesting that a plea deal was done because of Bennett's political status as president of the state senate.<ref name="CliftonEVT" /><ref name="CliftonPleaDeal" />
Both Bennett and the prosecutor have denied allegations of political pressure in the case, with Bennett going as far as accusing critics of knowingly making false statements due to what he claims as a lack of evidence on him attempting to sway the case.<ref name="CliftonPleaDeal" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{S-start}} {{S-par|us-az-sen}} {{S-bef|before=[[Randall Gnant]]}} {{S-ttl|title=President of the [[Arizona Senate]]|years=2003–2007}} {{S-aft|after=[[Tim Bee]]}} |- {{S-off}} {{S-bef|before=[[Jan Brewer]]}} {{S-ttl|title=[[Secretary of State of Arizona]]|years=2009–2015}} {{S-aft|after=[[Michele Reagan]]}} {{S-end}} {{Arizona Secretary of State}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Ken}} [[Category:1959 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries]] [[Category:American Mormon missionaries in Japan]] [[Category:Arizona city council members]] [[Category:Republican Party Arizona state senators]] [[Category:Candidates in the 2014 United States elections]] [[Category:Candidates in the 2018 United States elections]] [[Category:Latter Day Saints from Arizona]] [[Category:Politicians from Prescott, Arizona]] [[Category:Politicians from Tucson, Arizona]] [[Category:Presidents of the Arizona Senate]] [[Category:Secretaries of state of Arizona]] [[Category:W. P. Carey School of Business alumni]] [[Category:21st-century members of the Arizona State Legislature]]