Former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, the eldest son of Robert F. Kennedy, announced he would not run for the U.S. Senate seat held for nearly 50 years by his late uncle, Edward M. Kennedy, reports the AP.
"The decision is expected to widen the field of announced candidates
for Kennedy's seat... Three veteran Massachusetts congressmen -- Reps. Michael Capuano, Edward J. Markey and John Tierney -- have said they are considering campaigns but would
not run against a member of the Kennedy family."
Former Rep. Martin Meehan, "who is now chancellor of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell but still has nearly $5 million in his campaign account, has also said he would defer to Kennedy although he has been noncommittal on a campaign."