TALKING POLITICS: Senate candidate Doug McKee spoke and answered questions from the College Republicans in Coor Hall on the Tempe campus Thursday night. (Photo by Rosie Gochnour)U.S. Senate hopeful Douglas McKee spoke to the College Republicans Wednesday evening to address the need for honest politics and party unity on a national level.
McKee is running for Arizona Senator Jon Kyl’s seat, who announced in February that he would not be seeking reelection in 2012.
McKee graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 1986 with a political science degree focusing on political economy and international relations.
He is the owner of a general contracting company based out of Fort Mohave called Grand Canyon Development, which builds custom homes on the banks of the Colorado River.
McKee has spent the large majority of his career in the private sector and this will be his first bid for senate.
“I have five children, and they’re the reason I’m running for United States Senate,” McKee said. “I’m not really happy with the direction the country is going. It’s kind of scary right now. I think one of the biggest shames for me would be to have to explain to my grandchildren what it was like to be an American, what it was like to be free.”
McKee, who is a self-described “Constitutional Conservative,” placed a special emphasis on the need for adherence to the U.S. Constitution in Washington as well as the need to close what he refers to as the “great divide.”
“(The great divide) is a concept that has been devised to drive a wedge between (the democrats and republicans),” McKee said. “It’s been designed to lead both groups to believe that they have nothing in common whatsoever. The sad part is this couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
McKee took the time after his speech to answer questions from members of College Republicans about his stance on a variety of national hot button issues such as the abolition of the Department of Education, immigration laws, and the national defense budget.
McKee is “not a big fan” of the Department of Education or the grant systems, he “full heartedly supports” Senate Bill 1070 and is a proponent of maintaining the current defense budget, while making cuts to frivolous expenditures.
“I thought all of (Doug’s) ideas were good,” sophomore political science and justice major Josh Vermes said. “I agreed with almost everything he had to say.”
Senior political science major and president of ASU College Republicans Ashley Allen is supportive of Doug McKee’s U.S. senate bid and the implications it has for the Republican Party.
“I think it’s great that someone like Doug is running (for Senate),” Allen said. “The fact that (Doug) is running means that the Tea Party has really had a serious impact on politics.”
McKee said he is very interested in getting students involved in his campaign. McKee said he wants to start “little fires” at all the campuses to generate awareness and support for his senate bid.
“The youth are the future and need to be involved in what is going on,” McKee said. “The youth are going to be a huge factor in this race.”
Reach the reporter at doberhau@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
