Free Republic

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. Two years ago, it would have been unthinkable that both seats held by Kennedys could go Republican. But Scott Brown's January election in Mass paved the way for the GOP who are hoping state Rep. John J. Loughlin II will win the race for Patrick's House seat. "There is extreme voter unrest about the liberal, big-government, agenda that is bankrupting our nation," said Eric Fehrnstrom, the architect of Mr. Brown's win--now a strategist with Loughlin's campaign. "People are beginning to wake up to the fact that our country is on the brink of financial ruin and RI...

Former Senator Lincoln Chafee remains the leader in the race to be Rhode Island’s next governor, with State Treasurer Frank Caprio the strongest Democrat in the contest for now. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Rhode Island shows Chafee, who is running as an independent, earning 39% support to Caprio’s 28%. Likely Republican nominee John Robitaille picks up 22% of the vote, with 11% more undecided. Chafee pulls 37% of the vote if state Attorney General Patrick Lynch is the Democrat in the race. Robitaille is in second with 26% support, and Lynch runs third with...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The mayor of Providence, R.I., and a former state Democratic Party official are running for Patrick Kennedy's U.S. House seat. Kennedy announced this week that he would not seek a ninth term. Providence Mayor David Cicilline (sis-uh-LEEN'-ee) says he's in the race. In 2002, the 48-year-old attorney became the first openly gay man elected mayor of Providence. He promised to clean up city government after a City Hall corruption scandal.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) Providence, R.I., Feb 12, 2010 / 04:59 pm (CNA).- Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s decision not to run for re-election creates an opportunity for a pro-life candidate to replace him, a Rhode Island pro-life group said on Friday. Kennedy had sparked a dispute with his bishop after he strongly criticized the Catholic bishops’ opposition to health care legislation that funded abortion.Rep. Kennedy, a Democrat and son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), announced his decision in a video posted to YouTube on Thursday. He said his life is taking “a new direction.” He has held his...

...So we are now being told that Patrick Kennedy, the third child of Ted and Joan Kennedy, will not seek re-election to the House of Representatives, representing Rhode Island. It would be easy to take a few parting shots at Patrick. But part of facing reality is giving up on facades, mirages and imagery. By the time Patrick came along, it was more like, “Oh, God… not another Kennedy!”

Patrick Kennedy's exit opens a door for Buddy Cianci, who could join Jim Traficant in the felon caucus. * * * But if Kennedy is a rare breed of one kind -- the melancholy politician -- then his departure may clear the way for another type of odd duck entirely, and one that’s much more fun. Buddy Cianci, the former mayor of Providence -- former because of the small matter of a federal felony conviction -- is thinking about running for Kennedy's seat, presumably as an independent. * * * If he is a candidate, Cianci will join a rarefied...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy has decided not to seek re-election after eight terms in Congress, saying his life is "taking a new direction" just months after the death of his father and mentor, Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Here is video of Rhode Island Democrat Rep. Patrick Kennedy personally announcing his decision not to seek re-election to the House of Representatives this fall. Kennedy said his like was now going to take a "new direction," and he thanked the people of Rhode Island for the opportunity to serve. (VIDEO)

You Tube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLzr-4MMyDc Guess he decided to release the video early because the content had leaked.

Shortly after 10pm on Thursday night, WPRO-AM in Rhode Island reported that talk show host Dan Yorke has learned that Patrick Kennedy will not seek reelection for Congress. There has been rumor to this effect and this initial report, although without any other details, is big news in Rhode Island. Democrat Patrick Kennedy, 42, currently serves in the United States House of Representatives, representing the 1st congressional district of Rhode Island. He assumed office January 3, 1995. Kennedy is a son of late U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy from Massachusetts. A February 2010 poll commissioned by WPRI TV 12 in...

Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, the last member of his illustrious family currently serving in Congress, will announce on Friday that he is retiring, according to Democratic insiders. Kennedy, 42, was first elected to Congress in 1994. He did a stint as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the 1999-2000 cycle but has not served in the House Democratic leadership beyond that. His congressional tenure was marked by repeated substance abuse problems, including a drunk-driving incident in 2006. He entered a rehab facility at that time and again in 2009. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), the congressman's father,...

WASHINGTON – A Democratic official says Rep. Patrick Kennedy has decided not to seek re-election for his seat representing Rhode Island in the U.S. Congress. ... The decision by the eight-term congressman comes less than a month after a stunning Republican upset in the race for the Massachusetts Senate seat his late father, Edward Kennedy, held for almost half a century.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy has come out swinging against the man who now sits in the Senate seat his father held for 47 years. Telling a blog for the Hill newspaper that Senator Scott Brown was "in the tank for the Republicans," the Rhode Island Democrat called Brown's candidacy a "joke." The putdown is a familiar one for the Kennedy family. Forty-eight years ago, a thirty-year-old Ted Kennedy heard the same taunt from his primary opponent, Massachusetts Attorney General Edward McCormack: "If his name was Edward Moore, with his qualifications -- with your qualifications, Teddy -- if it was Edward Moore,...

Providence, R.I. (AP) -- Both Democrats running for governor and former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, an independent candidate, will publicly pledge to sign a gay marriage bill if elected, gay rights activists said Monday. Attorney General Patrick Lynch and General Treasurer Frank Caprio, the Democrats, and Chafee have been invited to make their promise public at a Statehouse rally scheduled for March 3, said Kathy Kushnir, executive director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island. Republican John Robitaille has not responded to an invitation from Marriage Equality, and he did not return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment. Robitaille opposes gay...

Patches, if your name were - no, I take that back. Patches, you are a joke, period. You are the runt of the litter of the runt of the litter. And the applejack didn’t fall far from the tree.

    Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., appears to be in trouble. If this poll is correct, then Democrats are in much more trouble than anyone realizes...The WPRI-12 poll showed the Rhode Island Democrat with a 56 percent unfavorability rating in his district - a negative that grows to 62 percent statewide.Only 35 percent of voters in Kennedy’s district said they would vote to re-elect him. Another 31 percent said they’d consider a different candidate and 28 percent said they would vote to replace him, according to the poll. Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Winning-Kennedys-seat--the-other-Kennedy-in-Rhode-Island-83631407.html#ixzz0egwScHUK

The Kennedy political dynasty is shaking in the aftershock of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s earth-shattering election, with a new poll showing U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy losing ground as he faces a well-financed GOP foe backed by Brown’s top strategists.

The Kennedy political dynasty is shaking in the aftershock of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s earth-shattering election, with a new poll showing U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy losing ground as he faces a well-financed GOP foe backed by Brown’s top strategists. The WPRI-12 poll showed the Rhode Island Democrat with a 56 percent unfavorability rating in his district - a negative that grows to 62 percent statewide. Only 35 percent of voters in Kennedy’s district said they would vote to re-elect him. Another 31 percent said they’d consider a different candidate and 28 percent said they would vote to replace him, according...

Former Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey back in the spotlight last night rolling out his 10 point plan to a Tea Party event in North Kingstown. Pretty interesting move from a guy NOT running for Governor. The thought of Laffey running for Governor has our viewers talking. ABC6 Anchor John Deluca has more in this Raw segment...

Rhode Island GOP: Scott Brown Victory Shows Patrick Kennedy Vulnerable Associated Press January 20, 2010 PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy has won election to the U.S. House from Rhode Island for eight terms despite a string of personal problems that might have ended any other politician’s career. Now, state Republicans are hoping the GOP victory in Tuesday’s special election to replace Kennedy’s father in the Senate could herald a change in the younger Kennedy’s fortunes. In a stunning defeat for Democrats, Republican Scott Brown won the Massachusetts Senate seat held for nearly 50 years by Edward Kennedy, who...