Congressman Patrick Kennedy of the 1st district of Rhode Island has announced that he will not run for reelection. He turns 43 later this year. He was first elected to the House in 1994 after serving six years in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

Kennedy is of course the son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, who died last year, and Patrick Kennedy was obviously dismayed when Republican Scott Brown won the seat in the January 19 special election; despite Brown’s gracious words about his father in his victory speech, Patrick Kennedy called his candidacy a “joke.”