Kennedy's interest in Senate seat pushing her to top of the list

By: JournalNow Staff | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 17, 2008

NEW YORK

Caroline Kennedy has avoided politics most of her life. She has yet to utter a word publicly about her interest in running for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat.

But in a sign of the enduring power of the Kennedy mystique, even her secondhand statements of interest have spooked the rest of the crowded field.

Before she edged into the picture, Democratic Gov. David Paterson had been considering more than 10 other potential contenders, most prominent among them Kennedy's former relative by marriage, Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo, the son of Democratic Party icon and former Gov. Mario Cuomo of New York, is the state's attorney general. Others who were said to be interested include Tom Suozzi, the county executive of Nassau County; and Reps. Kirsten Gillibrand, Carolyn Maloney and Brian Higgins.

Then came Kennedy. Suddenly, the others seemed to shrink in stature.

"What are we, chopped liver?" asked Rep. Jose Serrano, a Bronx congressman who is not running for the seat but is sympathetic to his fellow legislators who are being eclipsed by Kennedy.

"They think, ‘My god, a Kennedy, how do I look like I'm not happy about a Kennedy?'" he said.

Still, ever since her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., confirmed her interest about 10 days ago, she quickly became the top contender even as some criticized her as an amateur said that if celebrity counts, Jennifer Lopez is just as qualified.

Kennedy, a writer and lawyer, has never held an elective office. She has been involved with numerous charities, has served as president of John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and was a director of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Yet, in the end, Paterson may be hard pressed to turn down the only surviving child of former President John F. Kennedy. Among other considerations, there is the question of money.

"Obviously she will come out as the front-runner simply because of her ability to raise money, her name and her star power," said Rep. Michael Arcuri, a Utica Democrat who wants the next senator to be from upstate New York, or at the very least focused on the issues there.