By Frank Phillips and Scott S. Greenberger, Globe Staff | January 12, 2005
With a jab at Governor Mitt Romney, Joseph P. Kennedy II yesterday declared he will not run for governor next year, an announcement that is sure to disappoint some Democrats seeking to reclaim the office but that gives other potential candidates a chance to begin laying the groundwork for their campaigns.
"I have no intention of running for governor," said Kennedy, the 52-year-old former Massachusetts congressman, who has been operating his nonprofit fuel assistance program since he gave up his seat in 1998. "I am not looking to get back into elective office."
"I am not trying to equivocate at all," Kennedy said, when pressed by reporters as to whether he has completely ruled out the possibility of jumping into the race at some point in the future. "You make these decisions about this issue and then you move on."
At a press conference in South Boston to tout a $15 million fuel-assistance bill before the Legislature, Kennedy said he was "happily doing my work" at Citizens Energy Corporation, was enjoying his lifestyle as a private citizen, and did not want to plunge back into public life.
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http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/01/12/once_again_joseph_kennedy_steps_aside/