Former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II's
decision not to run for Uncle Ted's Senate seat in
Massachusetts means two things: That this Senate seat is likely
to be held by a non-placeholding non-Kennedy for the first time
since JFK beat Henry Cabot Lodge in 1952; and that the Democratic
primary will open up.
If a Kennedy ran, the only other Democrats who would have been
likely to run were Attorney General Martha Coakley and
Congressman Stephen Lynch. By taking a pass on this Senate race,
Joe Kennedy has potentially opened the competition up to include
Congressmen Ed Markey, Michael Capuano, and John Tierney. Former
Congressman Marty Meehan, now the chancellor of the University of
Massachusetts at Lowell, is considered a longer shot, but he's
still sitting on $5 million in campaign funds.
