Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., on Wednesday ruled out a run for the Senate in 2006, saying he could better serve his constituents by staying in the House and serving on the Appropriations Committee.
Kennedy has been in Boston caring for his mother, Joan Kennedy, who was hospitalized with a concussion and a broken shoulder after a passer-by found her lying in a street Tuesday.
"I am grateful for the support and encouragement I have received to run for the Senate," Patrick Kennedy said in a statement. "But over the past few days, I have determined that I can make the greatest difference in the lives of Rhode Island families by remaining on the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives and fighting for their priorities."
Kennedy had been encouraged to run for the Senate against Republican incumbent Sen. Lincoln Chafee, after Rhode Island's other Democratic congressman, Jim Langevin, decided not to seek the Senate seat.
Kennedy, who is in his sixth term, said he decided he should stay on the Appropriations panel, where he has been able to secure funding for state projects.
Kennedy's mother, the former wife of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., was taken to Tufts New England Medical Center about 3 a.m. Tuesday.