Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, the son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, will not seek reelection this fall, a senior Democrat said Thursday.
The lawmaker, who represented a district in Rhode Island, was elected to Congress in 1994, one of the few new Democrats sent to Capitol Hill at a time when Republicans were sweeping into the majority.
His decision to retire comes less than a year after his father's death, and his departure will likely leave Congress without a member of the Kennedy clan for the first time since his uncle, John F. Kennedy, later U.S. president, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
In a taped message to be aired on Rhode Island's television stations Sunday night, Mr. Kennedy didn't give a reason for his decision, but he began the message by saying it had been a difficult few years for many people, according to the Associated Press. "Illness took the life of my most cherished mentor and confidante, my ultimate source of spirit and strength," he said. "From the countless lives he lifted, to the American promise he helped shape, my father taught me that politics at its very core was about serving others."
Mr. Kennedy, 42, once served as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of House Democrats, and was known as prolific fund-raiser.
Mr. Kennedy was a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which annually divvies up spending on the federal government. Much like his father, Mr. Kennedy championed liberal causes, including raising the minimum wage and expanding access to college education.
But Mr. Kennedy at times appeared uncomfortable in the spotlight on Capitol Hill, and struggled with substance abuse. In 2006, he sought help for dependency on prescription drugs after crashing his car into a security barrier in Washington.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703382904575060303495814186.html
Patches bow's out gracefully instead of suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of a Republican. Looks like Sen. Scott Brown is having the last laugh, no more Kennedy dynasty.
The lawmaker, who represented a district in Rhode Island, was elected to Congress in 1994, one of the few new Democrats sent to Capitol Hill at a time when Republicans were sweeping into the majority.
His decision to retire comes less than a year after his father's death, and his departure will likely leave Congress without a member of the Kennedy clan for the first time since his uncle, John F. Kennedy, later U.S. president, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
In a taped message to be aired on Rhode Island's television stations Sunday night, Mr. Kennedy didn't give a reason for his decision, but he began the message by saying it had been a difficult few years for many people, according to the Associated Press. "Illness took the life of my most cherished mentor and confidante, my ultimate source of spirit and strength," he said. "From the countless lives he lifted, to the American promise he helped shape, my father taught me that politics at its very core was about serving others."
Mr. Kennedy, 42, once served as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of House Democrats, and was known as prolific fund-raiser.
Mr. Kennedy was a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which annually divvies up spending on the federal government. Much like his father, Mr. Kennedy championed liberal causes, including raising the minimum wage and expanding access to college education.
But Mr. Kennedy at times appeared uncomfortable in the spotlight on Capitol Hill, and struggled with substance abuse. In 2006, he sought help for dependency on prescription drugs after crashing his car into a security barrier in Washington.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703382904575060303495814186.html
Patches bow's out gracefully instead of suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of a Republican. Looks like Sen. Scott Brown is having the last laugh, no more Kennedy dynasty.
