George C. Kennedy

George C. Kennedy is a long-time Louisiana political consultant, and the brother of Louisiana State Treasurer John Neely Kennedy.

Kennedy grew up in Zachary, La., in East Baton Rouge Parish, graduating from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with a degree in Psychology. After school, Kennedy managed his family's lumber and real estate interests until entering the realm of political consulting. Kennedy began studying the techniques of directing and producing film in the 1980s, and his career as a political media consultant took off.

Kennedy is sometimes viewed as a renegade, or an independent political consultant, working for both Republicans and Democrats. Kennedy's modus operandi of the 1990s has been targeting and recruiting clients viewed as "underdogs." Kennedy has been very successful in winning what are often viewed as "unwinnable" elections.

In 2004, Kennedy was the lead consultant and the media consultant for the political action committee BRNext (Baton Rouge Next), which was funded as an independent endeavor to defeat East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Bobby Simpson, a Republican. In 2000, Simpson handily defeated black Democrat Melvin "Kip" Holden to become Mayor-President. Spending more than $500,000 on tv and radio, BRNext's ads were often hard-hitting and very effective. Several of the television spots won Addy awards (TV/Radio advertising awards). In the 2004 election, Simpson was defeated in the re-match with Holden, despite East Baton Rouge parish's political demographics: 60% white and heavily Republican.

Dozens of Kennedy's spots have won advertising awards throughout the past 20 years. Kennedy has also produced television ads for the Shaw Group, based in Baton Rouge, La.

Notable Clients
* Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell (Democrat), for Governor of Louisiana, 2007
* Louisiana Secretary of State John L. "Jay" Dardenne, Jr., (Republican)
* Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance James "Jim" Donelon (Republican)
* Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu (Democrat), for Lt. Gov. in 2003
* Louisiana State Senator Dr. William Cassidy (Republican), 2006
* Former Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance James "Jim" Brown, 1999, 1995
* Former Louisiana State Senator & Public Service Commissioner Louis J. Lambert (Democrat)
* East Baton Rouge Councilman Wayne Carter (Republican), for Commissioner of Agriculture, 2007

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