It’s not exactly a family feud, but the patriarch of the Kennedy family and his son are campaigning in Iowa this weekend — for two different candidates. Senator Edward Kennedy — Ted — is campaigning with his choice in the race — fellow Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Meanwhile, Ted Kennedy’s son, Patrick — a Rhode Island Congressman — is campaigning for Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt. Patrick Kennedy says Gephardt is his pick for several reasons. The young Kennedy says Gephardt has been a mentor to him in Congress and is the “strongest” candidate in the field of 10 Democrats who are running. Patrick Kennedy says he and his father have discussed their respective choices in the race. Patrick Kennedy says they’ve each chosen a candidate to love, but at the end of the day, they’ll fall in line behind whoever the party’s nominee is. Senator Kerry says others can do what they want, but he will take the elder Kennedy as a campaign companion “any day of the year.” Senator Kennedy, who ran for President himself in 1980, is often a lightning rod for Republicans, and the Iowa G-O-P issued a news release Friday calling him a “left wing liberal.”. Kerry says he’s “thrilled” Kennedy is campaigning for him in Iowa. Kerry as a young man worked on Kennedy’s Senate campaign, and he says Kennedy has been fighting for democratic values for “years and years.” Kerry and Kennedy will be focusing on Kerry’s health care plan during their stops throughout the state.
