Joseph Kennedy III To Announce Run For Congress Thursday
BOSTON (CBS) - Joseph Kennedy III will officially announce plans to run for Congress Thursday.
"I believe this country was founded on a simple idea: that every person deserves to be treated fairly, by each other and by their government, but that's not happening in America anymore," Kennedy said in advance of tomorrow's announcement. "I've spoken to people from across the fourth Congressional District - from Newton to Fall River - who believe that Washington no longer works for them. I will work hard to earn every vote and if elected bring that fight for fairness to the US Congress."
WBZ-TV's Jonathan Elias Reports
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO endorsed Kennedy Sunday, days before he was set to officially announce his run for Barney Frank's old seat in the fourth Congressional District.
"I guess the unions like Kennedy's," said Boston College political science professor Dennis Hale. "They certainly have plenty of reason to have liked his other family member in the Senate, Edward Kennedy.
Kennedy issued a statement soon after, accepting the endorsement.
"The AFL-CIO has always been a passionate advocate for basic fairness and economic opportunity for its members and working men and women across the country. I really appreciate this early expression of support," Kennedy said, in a statement.
"It's a little strange that they would be jumping so quickly on to the heir apparent," Hale added. "This is almost like kind of a monarchic system here, where the guy with the name gets the endorsements very quickly."
Hale believes, however, that even though some organizations might give him a pass because of his name, Kennedy will have to actively campaign to win the fourth Congressional District seat.
