# Kennedy for Senate, again, but Chris this time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 22, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273 "2009-05-22T04:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273/1 "2009-05-22T04:58:22Z")
We’ve had a Kennedy among us for years - who knew? - and now he might [run for Senate](http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/05/kennedy_for_senate_illinois_th.html)? Say what? > [@](#): > > A spokeswoman for Chris Kennedy, president of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, says the son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy is seriously considering a campaign for the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama – now held by Sen. Roland Burris. [No carbetbagger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_George_Kennedy) he. > [@](#): > > He also holds a Masters of Management degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, graduating in 1994. > > Kennedy met Sheila Sinclair Berner (b. December 4, 1962), a Chicagoland native, at Boston College. The two wed in 1987 [6] in Illinois, and they have lived, worked, served, and raised their four children in the Chicago area for the last 23 years. Sheila earned a law degree and practiced at Sidley & Austin in Chicago before retiring to take care of their children. I don’t know _what_ to think. Other than that I don’t know enough about him to have an opinion. Chicago does like its dynastic names, but the rest of the state may not be so hot on the Kennedy brand… ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273/2 "2009-05-22T16:02:08Z")
I wouldn’t mind a decent, smart Kennedy… are you sure you have one? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273/3 "2009-05-22T16:42:45Z")
If he wants to run in the primary and he thinks he could do a good job in the Senate, then by all means, go ahead. Should Illinoisans vote for him? Well, that’s their decision. I think he’s going to have his hands full going up against Giannoulias, for example, though. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273/4 "2009-05-22T17:13:29Z")
Nice thing about having an Irish Catholic political dynasty is that we’ll never have a shortage of Kennedy’s left to run for things. Never realized RFK had so many kids. Just going off his wikipedia entry, it seems like he’d be a decent candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273/5 "2009-05-22T20:21:41Z")
I think it’s perhaps a bit unrealistic to go straight from “prominent businessman” to “Senator”, without a stop in state government or the House in between, but if he wants to try, sure, go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273/6 "2009-05-22T20:45:46Z")
no more unrealistic than “first term Senator” to “President”, surely? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273/7 "2009-05-22T21:10:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think it’s perhaps a bit unrealistic to go straight from “prominent businessman” to “Senator”, without a stop in state government or the House in between, but if he wants to try, sure, go for it. Actually, the only sitting senator I can think of off the top of my head to get in before holding another public office beforehand is Ted Kennedy (though Al Franken will probably count, if Norm Coleman ever runs out of money for court challenges). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kennedy-for-senate-again-but-chris-this-time/497273/8 "2009-05-22T21:56:50Z")
Jim Webb’s first elected office was Senator as well. He was also Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and Secretary of the Navy. John Glenn was elected to the Senate after his astronautical career. Susan Collins held no elected office, as far as I can tell, before her current position. It’s not common, but it does happen.