Joe Kennedy will not seek Mass. Senate seat

(NECN: Kristen Caira, Boston, Mass.) – Former Congressman Joe Kennedy wasn’t at the Greater Boston Labor Council’s annual breakfast, but he was still a palpable presence among the declared candidate, and pack of potential candidates vying to fill his uncle’s U.S. Senate seat. And then the announcement from Joe Kennedy that he will not run. In a statement Kennedy said in part: ”My father called politics an honorable profession, and I have profound respect for those who choose to advance the causes of social and economic justice in elective office. After much consideration, I have decided that the best way for me to contribute to those causes is by continuing my work at Citizens Energy Corporation.” So now, the race really begins. Congressman Stephen Lynch has already taken the first steps. Attorney general Martha Coakley is already in, and has begun collecting signatures. So the clock is ticking, the days to decide and raise money are few, but at least we now know what Joe will do. Many of the potential candidates we spoke to say they had planned to make a decision in the next week or so. It will be interesting to see how Joe Kennedy’s decision could change those timetables.