Joe Kennedy III Wins Mass. Primary

RFK grandson seeks House seat being vacated by Barney Frank
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 7, 2012 1:13 AM CDT
Updated Sep 7, 2012 1:41 AM CDT
Joe Kennedy III Wins Mass. Primary
Joseph Kennedy III, son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy, addresses a crowd during a watch party in Taunton, Mass.   (AP Photo/Gretchen Ertl)

For the last two years, Congress has been Kennedy-free for the first time since 1946, but that looks set to change this fall. Joseph Kennedy III has won the Democratic primary for Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District by an overwhelming margin, reports AP. The 31-year-old lawyer, who has worked as a prosecutor in the state, is the first of his generation of Kennedys to seek political office. He will be competing against Republican Sean Bielat for the seat being vacated by Barney Frank, in a district that hasn't voted for a Republican representative since World War II.

Kennedy, the grandson of RFK, says he is proud of his family, but plans to earn votes on his own. "I got into this race because I believe this country was built on a simple promise: that each of us deserves a fair shot," he said after the victory. "Nothing extra, nothing excessive—just the chance to make the most out of their own talent and hard work." Bielat says he plans to counter Kennedy's advantages with "retail politics." Kennedy "hasn't gotten out and talked to people," the Republican says. "He's going to drop a lot of money on TV, but he has a very thin resume." (More Joseph Kennedy III stories.)

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