Death and life of Senator Edward Kennedy

Beyond Senate service, Kennedy challenged incumbent President Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination. Carter's unpopularity, apparent ineffectiveness, and relatively conservative approach to some policies led influential Democratic activists to turn to Kennedy, who for a time was ahead in opinion polls.

However, once Kennedy announced the challenge his public support declined, he was defeated in important primaries, and Carter was renominated. Kennedy's campaign appeared relatively disorganized, but a much greater problem were lingering memories of the 1969 incident in which a young woman, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned in Kennedy's car which failed to negotiate a narrow bridge on Chappaquiddick Island.

In a public statement, Kennedy pled confusion and shock to explain his behavior after the accident. His account of what happened that night has been widely debated and doubted. Undeniable is the fact that his presidential prospects ended.

In 1985, Ted Kennedy formally renounced any future run for the White House and underscored his determination to continue public service in the Senate. In July 2009, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Kennedy's son Patrick serves as a Congressman from Rhode Island.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of “After the Cold War” (NYU Press and Macmillan). He can be reached at acyr@carthage.edu.

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