Rep. Patrick Kennedy: “My Life is Taking a New Direction”
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Representative Patrick Kennedy, 42, has announced he won’t be running for re-election, perhaps making his ancestors roll over in their graves. It will be the first time in more than 60 years that a Kennedy has not held a political office.
The Rhode Island Democrat’s decision comes just months after the death of his father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, who served on the Massachusetts Senate for more than four decades. Mark Weiner, a major Democratic fundraiser in Rhode Island and one of Kennedy’s top financial backers, said he had spoken with Kennedy recently, and that his father’s death had taken an enormous toll.
Likewise, in a television message viewed by The Associated Press on Thursday, Kennedy stated it has been a difficult few years:
“Illness took the life of my most cherished mentor and confidante, my ultimate source of spirit and strength,” [Kennedy] said, as a black-and-white photo of him as a boy sailing with his father appeared on the screen. “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.”
The announcement also comes less than a month after Republican Scott Brown shocked the nation and won the race for Ted Kennedy’s Senate spot. Last week during Brown’s swearing-in, Kennedy “called Brown’s candidacy a joke and predicted Brown would betray his union supporters,” reported The Associated Press.
In Congress, Kennedy has pushed for greater mental health care coverage, citing his own addiction problems and mental health issues. His mother, Joan Kennedy, has also been through several alcohol treatment programs. Although he hasn’t been definitive about his future plans, Kennedy told AP he would “continue to fight for issues on behalf of those suffering from depression, addiction, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
But there’s still an air of mystery lurking. “My life is taking a new direction,” Kennedy told AP.
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(Photo source: U.S. Department of State)
