The passing of Senator Ted Kennedy brought forth the question of whether or not a Kennedy would continue the family tradition of maintaining a stronghold on a powerful position in Congress. Joseph P. Kennedy II, the oldest son of Robert F. Kennedy, put to rest any speculation. Kennedy who served for over ten years as a representative for Massachusetts announced Monday he would not seek the Senate seat previously held by his uncle. We can all exhale now as he returns to his work as President of Citizens Energy Corporation.
The only Kennedy left in the speculation for the open seat is Senator Ted Kennedy’s widow, Vicki Kennedy. She has not expressed interest in the Senate seat but she has yet to explicitly state her feelings on the situation. “Until she says she’s out, I don’t one hundred percent rule out Vicki changing her mind now that Joe has announced he is not running,” said a Massachusetts Democrat. “I wouldn’t bet on it, and she would have to act fast, but I don’t totally rule it out.”
If Vicki Kennedy did run, it would be solely on the power of her last name. As a former lawyer, Kennedy has been able to make a name for herself, but has yet to hold any political office. Jumping straight into a Senate seat sounds a bit far-fetched. But also far-fetched was her late husband’s incident in Chappaquiddick which resulted in the death of his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne and Ted fleeing the scene without receiving jail time.
The announcement by Joe Kennedy and the presumption that Ted Kennedy’s widow Vicki will not run leaves the spot up for grabs. State Attorney General Martha Coakley appears to be the favorite and Representatives Michael Capuano, John Tierney, and Edward J. Markey will also likely run now that the Kennedys seem to be out of the picture. The Reps. previously said they would not run against a Kennedy family member.
The D.C. Writeup previously reported that former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling has also expressed interest in running for the open seat.
We will see soon enough the candidates who will vie for the spot, but only one thing is almost positive, a Kennedy will not fill a family member’s spot.
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