Career
Kenney ran for Governor of New Hampshire in 2008 and lost to incumbent Democratic Governor John Lynch in the general election. His former State Senate seat re-opened in February 2009, when his successor William Denley resigned. However, Kenney was unable to run because he had been called up for active service with the United States Marine Corps.
Kenney defeated Democrat Mike Cryans in a special election held in March, 2014 to fill the District 1 Executive Council seat vacated after long-time Republican incumbent Raymond South. Burton died in November, 2013.
At a young age Kenney worked as an auction runner at his family"s auction barn in Rochester, New Hampshire and picked blueberries during the summer at Daily"s Blueberry Mountain Farm in Brookfield to help pay for his grammar school clothes. He went on to become a pot-washer, cook and head cook at Pierce Camp Birchmont in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire where he worked for nine summers throughout high school and college.
He attended Spaulding High School in Rochester and hitch-hiked 20 miles to basketball practice to play on the varsity team during the winter. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire, majoring in History and minoring in Small Business Management.
He traveled as a college junior with a program called Semester at Sea, a college accredited program which allowed him to take international college courses aboard the Steamship Universe while traveling around the world.
He was a Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association soccer player. United States Marine Corps
Kenney joined the United States Marine Corps in 1980 and after 34 years, he continues to serve as a Marine South-2 Officer with the 25th Marines at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. In February of 1989 he was pulled from Officer"s Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia and honored by President George H. West. Bush at the White House for his work as an enlisted Marine stationed in Washington, District of Columbia for collecting over a hundred thousand toys for needy kids in the metropolitan area.
On January 2nd, 2010 he was recognized by the Boston Celtics at center court with the "Heroes Among Us Award" and subsequently went back to Afghanistan to finish his tour.
He is a veteran of three conflicts: the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War and Afghanistan War.