A Kennedy is Running Again in Mass.

A Kennedy is again running for Congress in Massachusetts — Joseph P. Kennedy III, who wants to replace retiring Democrat Barney Frank. The young Kennedy made the announcement in a video released Thursday morning and immediately launched his campaign by taking to the streets to greet commuters on their way to work, according to the Boston Globe.

 

“I’m very, very proud of my family’s record of public service — to the Commonwealth and to the country,” Kennedy told reporters. “But this campaign, any campaign, is going to be about the issues, and about who goes out and earns it.”

 

Kennedy — the son of former U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy — will have to face off against at least three other Democrats in the state’s June 12 primary before moving on to challenge likely Republican nominee Sean Bielat, a former Marine who lost to Frank in the 2010 general election.

 

In his video announcement, Kennedy played up his recent experience as a local prosecutor, his stint as a Peace Corps volunteer, and efforts to help low-income housing residents. He also said, according to the Globe, that his priorities in Congress would include job growth, a more sensible energy policy, and a fair tax code.

 

A recent poll showed Kennedy leading Bielat in a head-to-head matchup. But the likely voters surveyed indicated they were more familiar with the Kennedy name than with the actual candidate.

 

But Kennedy said he hopes to change that by mounting a vigorous campaign “to earn every vote” on his own merits.

 

Still, he made sure in his video announcement to note his family connections and the long service the Kennedys have given to the state.

 

“My family has had the great privilege of serving Massachusetts before,” he said. “They taught me that public service is an honor, given in trust, and that trust must be earned each and every day. That’s exactly what I intend to do.”