After The New York Times declared “liberal” a dirty word, there are plenty of Democrats doing some serious soul-searching. Does the party have a secret weapon who can go toe-to-toe with Donald Trump in 2020? It turns out they do.
And it’s a Massachusetts Congressman with a famous last name—Joe Kennedy III—who could be just the ticket, so to speak.
While political dynasties have been on the decline, Town & Country writes of an impending “Kennedy comeback” following the backlash against the Clintons and Bushes in 2016. Joe is the 36-year-old son of Joe Kennedy II, who served six terms in Congress for Massachusetts.
He’s a product of top-notch prep school, Buckingham Browne & Nichols, and Stanford University (he was there at the same time as Chelsea Clinton). In college, former NBA player Jason Collins was his roommate, and he abstained from drinking—even after rushing a fraternity. His lone flaw in Collins’ opinion? “His hair. It could become like a big sheepdog. Like, big, red, sheepdog hair. It could get a little out of control.” (Collins has a legacy of his own, as the first NBA player to come out as gay during his playing career. He actually came out to Kennedy before he did in Sports Illustrated.)
Kennedy followed college with the Peace Corp, which was founded by President John F. Kennedy, his great uncle. He would later graduate from Harvard Law in 2009, and after a stint as an assistant district attorney, he ran for and won Barney Frank’s vacated seat.
That background, combined with the Kennedy charisma and history, may make him a potential force in the party.
Below, watch his recent remarks on committee about the Affordable Care Act, which went viral.
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
