WriterDom
Good to the last drop
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2000
- Posts
- 20,077
Kennedy Smith Said to Mull House Run
.c The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - William Kennedy Smith, the nephew of Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy who was found innocent in 1991 of a rape charge, is considering running for Congress, a political consultant said.
Smith, 39, a doctor and adjunct instructor at Northwestern University Medical School and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, is exploring his chances of winning the seat held by Rep. Rod Blagojevich, Democratic consultant David Axelrod said Sunday.
``He's exploring whether he's viable, given the negative publicity surrounding that case,'' said Axelrod, who was not involved in organizing the focus group but said he had talked to Smith about running for Congress.
Blagojevich, whose district includes parts of Chicago and its northwestern suburbs, is leaving Congress to run for Illinois governor.
During a focus group July 19, about a dozen women were asked their opinions on several potential candidates for the seat, including Smith, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday.
The women were asked to discuss whether Smith's trial on charges of raping a woman in Palm Beach, Fla., would affect his ability to serve in the House, said Audrey Kocylowski, an elementary school teacher who attended the focus group.
The group also watched a video about Smith's work as founder and president of Physicians Against Land Mines, a Chicago-based group working to end the use of land mines and help people injured by them, Kocylowski said.
``A lot was focused on 'Will he make a good representative?' The panel felt he was doing a wonderful job in the private sector,'' Kocylowski said.
Smith's home phone number is unlisted, and phone messages left Sunday at his office were not immediately returned.
In the trial, one of the first to be broadcast on cable television, Smith testified that he had consensual sex with his accuser.
Democratic political consultant Pete Giangreco, said it would be difficult for Smith to escape the association with the trial.
``A lot of people were introduced to him because of this incident,'' Giangreco said. ``First impressions are sometimes lasting impressions. That's difficult to overcome sometimes.''
Four other Democratic candidates are running for the seat in the predominantly Democratic district, including Rahm Emanuel, an investment banker and former senior adviser to President Clinton; Chicago Alderman Bernie Hansen; former state Rep. Nancy Kaszak; and Pete Dagher, who was an aide in the Transportation Department and special projects manager in the White House during the Clinton administration.
.c The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - William Kennedy Smith, the nephew of Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy who was found innocent in 1991 of a rape charge, is considering running for Congress, a political consultant said.
Smith, 39, a doctor and adjunct instructor at Northwestern University Medical School and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, is exploring his chances of winning the seat held by Rep. Rod Blagojevich, Democratic consultant David Axelrod said Sunday.
``He's exploring whether he's viable, given the negative publicity surrounding that case,'' said Axelrod, who was not involved in organizing the focus group but said he had talked to Smith about running for Congress.
Blagojevich, whose district includes parts of Chicago and its northwestern suburbs, is leaving Congress to run for Illinois governor.
During a focus group July 19, about a dozen women were asked their opinions on several potential candidates for the seat, including Smith, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday.
The women were asked to discuss whether Smith's trial on charges of raping a woman in Palm Beach, Fla., would affect his ability to serve in the House, said Audrey Kocylowski, an elementary school teacher who attended the focus group.
The group also watched a video about Smith's work as founder and president of Physicians Against Land Mines, a Chicago-based group working to end the use of land mines and help people injured by them, Kocylowski said.
``A lot was focused on 'Will he make a good representative?' The panel felt he was doing a wonderful job in the private sector,'' Kocylowski said.
Smith's home phone number is unlisted, and phone messages left Sunday at his office were not immediately returned.
In the trial, one of the first to be broadcast on cable television, Smith testified that he had consensual sex with his accuser.
Democratic political consultant Pete Giangreco, said it would be difficult for Smith to escape the association with the trial.
``A lot of people were introduced to him because of this incident,'' Giangreco said. ``First impressions are sometimes lasting impressions. That's difficult to overcome sometimes.''
Four other Democratic candidates are running for the seat in the predominantly Democratic district, including Rahm Emanuel, an investment banker and former senior adviser to President Clinton; Chicago Alderman Bernie Hansen; former state Rep. Nancy Kaszak; and Pete Dagher, who was an aide in the Transportation Department and special projects manager in the White House during the Clinton administration.
