Joseph
Kennedy III
BackGround
Joseph P. “Joe” Kennedy III (b. 1980) is the son of Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II and the grandson of Senator and Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Born in Brighton, Joe Kennedy III was raised in and around Boston. He was immersed in politics from birth; on the day of his birth, his parents were working on Ted Kennedy’s Presidential campaign. In 1986, Joe Kennedy II was elected to serve in the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, this put a strain on their marriage, and they divorced in 1991. Joe, and his twin brother, Matt, spent the next few years bouncing between Brighton and Cambridge to see both parents. Both twins went to Stanford University for their college education, defying some of the expectations for the family. Kennedy III was so well known for abstaining from alcohol that his college friends referred to him as the Milkman, jokingly suggesting that he would order a pint of milk at an Irish pub. After graduating from Stanford in 2003, Kennedy spent the next three years in the Dominican Republic with the Peace Corps. In 2006, Kennedy returned to Massachusetts,
his lifelong home, and immediately went back to family tradition by enrolling in Harvard Law School. He earned his JD in the top decile of his class in 2009. After a couple small jobs as an assistant district attorney, Kennedy announced he would run for office in 2011. Also, despite never working a high-paying job, starting a business, or investing his own capital, Joe Kennedy III has an estimated net worth of between $20 and $60 million. In 2012, he married Lauren Anne Birchfield, whom he met at Harvard Law School in a class taught by future Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Future
Joe Kennedy III was a shoe-in for his congressional seat. Kennedy represents the Massachusetts Fourth District, which mostly covers the area around Taunton and Fall River, but also includes Brookline, the birthplace of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy III won the Democratic Primary in a landslide, with over 90 percent of the vote. In the general election, Kennedy faced Republican Sean Bielat, who challenged the qualifications of Kennedy, saying that he would be elected by name recognition and not platform or experience. Regardless, Kennedy won the general
election with over 60 percent of the vote. He has run unopposed since being elected. Kennedy has been unabashedly liberal in the House, and his youth makes him a fresh face for the party. He was selected to give the response to the 2018 State of the Union Address by the President, where he praised Black Lives Matter and the #Resist movements, and spoke (in idiomatic Spanish) against the repeal of DACA. It is rumored that Joe Kennedy III may be a Democratic nominee for President in the 2020 campaign.