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 Kennedy, 52, is expected to declare his candidacy on Tuesday at a
library in Branford, Connecticut, the town near New Haven where he
lives. It will be his first try for political office.
Kennedy is also a nephew of assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
The Democrat who represents the district, Edward Meyer, is retiring.
Meyer would not confirm Kennedy's candidacy, saying Kennedy wanted
to make the announcement himself, but acknowledged encouraging him.
"I have been courting him a bit to run for about a year," Meyer
said. "He was a reluctant candidate for quite a while but I think he
believes that his children are now old enough that it's time for him
to enter elective politics."
Kennedy said in March that he would consider the position.
"I intend to seriously evaluate this opportunity for public service,
and to discuss it with my family, close friends and leaders
throughout the district," the Connecticut Mirror quoted him as
saying March 24. "I will make a final decision within the next two
weeks."
Kennedy, who lost a leg to cancer as a child, is a health-care
lawyer and advocate for people with disabilities.
He was the co-founder and president of the Marwood Group, a
financial services and consulting firm focused on health care that
is headquartered in New York City. In January, he joined the Epstein
Becker Green law firm, in its health care and life sciences
practice.
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"He has terrific business experience," Meyer said. "He's run a large
health-services organization ... He gained a lot of administrative
experience doing that as well as expertise in health issues, which
is very important in Connecticut."
Kennedy's brother, Patrick, represented Rhode Island in the U.S.
Congress for 16 years until 2010.
No Republican has declared for the Connecticut seat.
"Despite the celebrity name, the last thing the voters of the 12th
District need is another rubber-stamp vote for more of the same
higher taxes and government spending that have held back
Connecticut's economy and left more than half of our families living
paycheck to paycheck," state Republican Party Chairman Jerry
Labriola Jr. said in a statement.
(Reporting by Noreen O'Donnell; editing by Scott Malone and Lisa
Shumaker)
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