Joseph Kennedy III, 31 years old, graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Law School and served in the Peace Corps before becoming a prosecutor in Massachusetts. He drew attention last year when he delivered an emotional speech before the Massachusetts Legislature as part of a commemoration of John F. Kennedy's ascent to the presidency. In that address, Mr. Kennedy decried the harsh rhetoric coming from both parties. "This isn't what President Kennedy stood for. It isn't what Dr. King or Robert Kennedy stood for," Mr. Kennedy said. "This rhetoric creates an atmosphere of hate in particularly difficult times."
Dominican Republic RPCV Joseph Kennedy III Weighs Run for Congress
Joseph Kennedy III Weighs Run for Congress
By NAFTALI BENDAVID
Joseph P. Kennedy III attends a campaign event for the senate candidacy of Martha Coakley in Medford, Mass, in January 2010,
Joseph Kennedy III, grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, said Thursday he is resigning his job as a prosecutor in Massachusetts and exploring a run for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Barney Frank.
When Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D., R.I.) retired from the House in 2010, a year after the death of his father, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D., Mass.), it marked the first time in decades that no Kennedy was serving in Congress.
Joseph Kennedy III, 31 years old, graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Law School and served in the Peace Corps before becoming a prosecutor in Massachusetts. He drew attention last year when he delivered an emotional speech before the Massachusetts Legislature as part of a commemoration of John F. Kennedy's ascent to the presidency.
In that address, Mr. Kennedy decried the harsh rhetoric coming from both parties. "This isn't what President Kennedy stood for. It isn't what Dr. King or Robert Kennedy stood for," Mr. Kennedy said. "This rhetoric creates an atmosphere of hate in particularly difficult times."
The family has not been without controversy recently. Mr. Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy II, runs Citizens Energy, a group that helps the poor, and has aired television ads thanking Citgo Petroleum Corp., owned by Venezuela, for providing funding. Critics say the ads are a boost to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The elder Mr. Kennedy has said low-income families can suffer terribly without heating assistance, and that American cars also run partly on Venezuelan oil.
Mr. Frank, a high-profile liberal Democrat who has served 16 terms in the House, said in November that with his seat being redistricted, he wouldn't seek re-election. He said he didn't have an appetite to introduce himself to the thousands of new voters in his district.
Joseph Kennedy III, a Democrat, said in a statement that he has experience in finding practical and bipartisan solutions to difficult problems.
Democrats say they are confident of holding the seat, estimating that 60% of its voters supported President Barack Obama.
