Robert F. Kennedy’s son announces bid for Illinois governor
CHICAGO — Chris Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, announced Wednesday he will run for Illinois governor in 2018, bringing the instant name recognition of his family’s political legacy to what’s expected to be a sharply contested race.
The Democratic businessman said Illinois is heading “in the wrong direction” under Republican. Gov. Bruce Rauner, who’s seeking re-election. In an email and video sent to supporters, he talked up history of service and said he wants to “restore the American dream to the people of this state.”
“Today, I am announcing my run for Governor because I love Illinois, but we have never been in worse shape,” he said. “We don’t need incremental improvement — we need fundamental change in state government.”
Kennedy, 53, is the eighth of 11 children of Ethel Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, a former U.S. attorney general who represented New York in the Senate and was assassinated in 1968 while seeking the Democratic nomination for president. He is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.