Famous Kennedy name to be on Connecticut ballot

Ted Kennedy Jr has long had his famous name bandied about as a potential candidate for high political office while he worked for the disabled, campaigned for others and gave a stirring eulogy for his father.
After years of prodding, the son of the late US senator from Massachusetts has finally decided to make his first bid for elected office by running for state senate in Connecticut.
Hundreds of people, including state officials and numerous television cameras, yesterday turned out for Kennedy's official announcement, which drew standing ovations from the crowd that gathered at a Branford library.
Kennedy invoked his famous family, saying he was proud of its fight for social justice and fairness. He said his father, a liberal lion of the Senate who died in 2009, believed in building consensus and he shares that philosophy.

"We need people in government, both Democrat and Republican, who are able to build bridges and find common ground," Kennedy said while joined on stage by his wife and two children.
Kennedy, whose voice boomed like his father's at times, revealed that the elder Kennedy was among those who had encouraged him to run for office over the years. But he said he wanted to raise his family and develop his own expertise on the issues before running.

Kennedy, a health care lawyer who lives in Branford, serves on the board of the American Association of People with Disabilities. He said a life of advocacy grew from the loss of his leg to cancer as a child.

Kennedy recalled the horror he felt when his father told him at age 12 that doctors would have to amputate his leg. He said he thought his life was over but, in time, the experience enlightened him to the needs of others.
When Kennedy met another boy who lost his leg and learned he couldn't afford an artificial one, Kennedy said he resolved to do something with his life and make sure others did not have to experience such hardship.
Patrick Kennedy, who represented Rhode Island in Congress for 16 years until he retired in 2011, said Monday his brother's life was transformed when he lost his leg. He said his brother became a "profile in courage" the phrase that was the title of a book by their uncle, former President John F Kennedy by surviving and later becoming a champion for people with disabilities.