By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), the son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and an eight-term Congressman, has decided not to seek re-election this year, making this the first time in nearly a half century that a Kennedy will not be serving in Congress.

FoxNews.com is reporting that Kennedy told the press his “life is taking a new direction” and does not intend to run again.

Kennedy had been making headlines lately for a weeks-long feud with Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin who rebuked the young statesman for publicly criticizing the Church’s stance on abortion. During the feud, it was also revealed that Bishop Tobin had asked him to refrain from receiving communion due to his refusal to repent of his pro-abortion position.

He also suffered from substance abuse over the years, an issue that became public in the spring of 2006 when he crashed his Ford Mustang convertible into a blockade behind a House office building. He later admitted to being addicted to prescription drugs and checked himself into the Mayo Clinic for treatment.

Kennedy’s GOP challenger in 2010, James Loughlin, has been gaining ground in fund-raising and was considered a formidable opponent.
 
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