(Updated, 8:30 a.m.)
PROVIDENCE — U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy will not seek re-election in the fall, leaving the House of Representatives after eight terms, the congressman’s office announced Thursday night.
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Kennedy, 42, has represented Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District since 1995 and is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Among the Democrat’s most notable legislative achievements was a 2008 law requiring health insurers to offer the same coverage for mental illnesses that they provide for physical ailments.
But Kennedy has faced personal struggles in recent years, including a painkiller addiction that led to a car crash in Washington four years ago and the death of his beloved father, Edward M. Kennedy, last summer.
In an interview with Rhode Island Monthly published online late last night, Kennedy said he had tired of public life. “I’m not going to be afraid to leverage my political value,” he said. “I just won’t have to do it 24/7.”
State Rep. John J. Loughlin II, R-Tiverton, the House minority whip, had already announced he would challenge Kennedy in the fall election.
The field is wide open for the Democratic nomination now that Kennedy has bowed out. State Rep. Jon D. Brien, D-Woonsocket, issued a statement saying he will form an exploratory committee to prepare for the race.
Kennedy, the youngest child of Edward Kennedy and his first wife Joan Bennett Kennedy, was born in Massachusetts but came to Rhode Island to attend Providence College. He was elected to the R.I. House of Representatives in 1988 at the age of 21 and served three terms there.
Kennedy recorded a video explaining his decision to retire, which is scheduled to air in Rhode Island on Sunday evening:
Other elected officials quickly issued statements praising Kennedy. His colleague in the House, U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin, D-R.I., recalled that the pair had served together since their days in the General Assembly. “Patrick is a true public servant and passionate fighter who made a real difference for the people of our great state,” he said. “As with all things, there is a beginning and an end. I wish him well as he takes on a new beginning in his life.”
Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, a potential candidate for the congressional seat, said: “He has put everything he has on the line for this state and I’m proud to have worked with him on our immediate challenges and on building a bridge to the future for this state.”
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said Kennedy “leaves behind him a lasting legacy as a fighter for the middle class and the underprivileged, and a leader in the campaign for equality in the treatment of mental health issues.”
Whitehouse added: “On a personal note, Patrick has been a great colleague and a wonderful friend to me, and I will miss him in Washington.”
