Joe Kennedy Woos Democratic Votes in New Bedford

Congressman Joseph Kennedy III of Massachusetts is hunting votes across the Commonwealth as he attempts to unseat incumbent Edward Markey in the U.S. Senate.

Kennedy was in New Bedford Sunday, making a stop at the city's Democratic Caucus at Our Lady of Angels Cultural Center on Acushnet Avenue.

Kennedy, the nephew of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, shook hands with everyone in the building, then launched into a campaign speech, pledging to support a more efficient health care system and help for those who need it.

"Our journey has been to make sure that at some point, some time, someday, no matter the country you were born in, the hand that you hold, no matter what, here, you count."

Kennedy did not mention Senator Markey during his remarks, but during an interview with WBSM News, he was critical of Markey's vote in favor of the Iraq war and his support for a 1994 Crime Bill that he says led to the imprisonment of a generation of African-American men.

When asked if he was in the pocket of unions, Kennedy stated, "if standing up for working men and women in this country who are trying to make ends meet is a fault, then count me as being guilty. The cost of housing, health care, student loans, and child care have become beyond the reach of so many families, those are the people I want to fight for."

Kennedy will square off against Ed Markey in the statewide Democratic primary election in September.

On Friday, Kennedy picked up the endorsement of six prominent New Bedford politicians, including State Senator Mark Montigny, former Mayor Scott Lang, and City Councilors Joseph Lopes, Maria Giesta, Ian Abreu and Brian Gomes.