Ted Kennedy's nephew endorses Capuano for Senate

(NECN: Alison King) - It's a news blurb that may not mean much to the average Massachusetts voter. A man named Stephen Smith of Cambridge has endorsed congressman Michael Capuano for U.S. Senate. Here's why it could be relevant: Stephen Smith is the son of Jean Kennedy smith and the nephew of the late U.S. senator Ted Kennedy. He is the first member of the Kennedy family to publicly endorse a candidate in this race and while the Stephen Smith name may not carry the political clout among voters of say a Joe Kennedy or a Vicki Kennedy -- it has got political insiders wondering if the rest of Kennedys may follow suit. Dan Payne: The notion that there's a Kennedy family conspiracy is overblown. They have different lives, different locations -- Ted Kennedy Junior lives in Connecticut, Patrick Kennedy lives in Rhode Island, Vicki Kennedy spends most of her time in Washington. It's unlikely they have a daily conference call where they talk over what the family should be doing. Still, political analyst Dan Payne says it's not surprising a Kennedy has gotten behind Capuano. Dan Payne: One of the Kennedy family members said today that Joe Kennedy wants one of his sons to run for Capuano's seat in Congress and Capuano needs to win a Senate seat in order for that to happens. So this may be part of a plan to get a Kennedy back into Washington. Of course, any of the Democrats would be glad to get Kennedy family support -- but they don't want to be perceived as lobbying for it. None of the four candidates were available to comment for this story. The frontrunner: Attorney General Martha Coakley reportedly put off some Kennedy’s by announcing her candidacy so quickly after the Senator died in august. Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca endorsed Ted Kennedy’s 1994 Republican challenger Mitt Romney --a fact the Kennedy's undoubtedly haven't forgotten. Ted Kennedy was a big fan of city year, often wearing the signature red jacked of the service organization founded by candidate Alan Khazei. So with fewer than 70 days to go until the primary -- just what kind of significance does a Kennedy endorsement hold? Dan Payne: I have called this race the white version of Gladys Knight and the Pips. From Midnight Train to Georgia... Dan Payne: With the woman in front getting most of the attention and the three in the background vying for attention. So if one of the Pips can make a little noise and draw attention to themselves.... they stand out -- not only from the other Pips but threatens Gladys Knight. In a close race, key Kennedy endorsements -- especially right before for the election, could be just the attention any of the candidates might need to win.