US Congress will be without a Kennedy for the first time in over 50 years after Democratic Representative Patrick Kennedy decided not to seek re-election in November.
Months after the death of his father and mentor, Senator Edward Kennedy, the Rhode Island congressman has decided to take "a new direction" in life.
A member of Kennedy's family has served in Congress since his uncle, John F. Kennedy, later US president, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Kennedy, 42, taped a message to be aired on television stations Sunday night.
"Now having spent two decades in politics, my life is taking a new direction, and I will not be a candidate for re-election this year,'' Kennedy said.
Kennedy is serving his eighth term in the House of Representatives after first being elected in 1994.
His father, a liberal icon in the Senate and champion of healthcare reform, died last August after almost 47 years in office.
Patrick Kennedy has had brushes with controversy in recent years, most recently in 2006 when he sought help for dependency on prescription drugs after crashing his car into a security barrier in Washington.
His retirement would further complicate Democratic efforts to maintain their majorities in the House and Senate in congressional elections this November. Republican Scott Brown won a startling victory for Edward Kennedy's Senate seat in a special election last month.
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