Patrick Kennedy Won’t Run Again In Rhode Island

By: Bill Waters
02/12/2010 01:51 PM ET

Rep. Patrick Kennedy will not seek re-election in Rhode Island. The Democrat’s term ends early in 2011 but will not seek a ninth term. He is the son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

“Having spent two decades in politics, my life is taking a new direction, and I will not be a candidate for reelection this year. Going forward, I will continue many of the fights we’ve waged together, particularly on behalf of those suffering from depression, addiction, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder. I’m so grateful to the people of Rhode Island. When I made missteps or suffered setbacks, you responded not with contempt but with compassion.”

Kennedy said he does remain committed to public service, and did not give a reason for his decision. He also thanked Rhode Island voters for supporting him through his ups and downs. He has been through several treatment facilities for substance abuse since crashing his car outside the U.S Capitol in 2006.

Republican Scott Brown won his father’s seat in the senate race in Massachusetts. His father held the seat for almost half a century. Patrick Kennedy called Brown’s candidacy a “joke” and predicted Brown would betray his union supporters.

A February 2010 poll commissioned by WPRI TV 12 in Providence indicated Kennedy’s support was weak. Approximately, 56 percent of 1st District voters viewed him unfavorably and only 35 percent said they would vote to re-elect Kennedy. It could be one of the reasons why Patrick Kennedy is not seeking re-election to Congress.

The son of late U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy from Massachusetts

Patrick Kennedy became the youngest member of the Kennedy family to hold elected office. In 1988, he won the election to the Rhode Island House of Representatives at age 21. He also campaigned and won the seat being vacated by U.S. Representative Ronald Machtley in the 1994 Rhode Island 1st congressional district election.

He was one of four Democrats in the 1994 congressional elections to win a seat that had just been held by a Republican, while Republicans gained dozens of seats to take over the U.S. House. He has been re-elected in each subsequent election.

He also considered running against Republican Lincoln Chafee in the 2000 U.S. Senate election in Rhode Island. During the 2000 U.S. Senate recruiting phase, U.S. Representative Richard A. Gephardt, then-U.S. House Minority Leader, appointed Kennedy to the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations. This gave him a high-profile assignment that led Kennedy to pass up the U.S. Senate opportunity for 2000.