Monday June 11 10:48 AM ET

Max Kennedy Decides Not to Seek Congressional Seat

BOSTON (Reuters) - Max Kennedy, the son of the late U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, will not run for Congress because he wants to spend time with his family, he said in a statement on Monday.

Kennedy, 36, never formally announced his intention to run for the congressional seat left open by the death of Rep. Joe Moakley, but was expected to launch an exploratory committee this week.

``This has not been an easy decision for me,'' Kennedy said. ''I have always been passionate about public service. It is a passion I inherited from my father, who believed that service in the betterment of humankind was the highest calling a person could have.''

``But, like him, I am also passionate about my family, and I believe that family takes priority,'' Kennedy continued.

A younger brother of former congressman Joseph Kennedy and a cousin of U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), Max Kennedy has never held political office.

But since Moakley announced in February that he was suffering from leukemia and would not seek reelection, Kennedy took all the steps -- including moving into the Massachusetts Ninth Congressional District -- of someone looking to run.

He met with Moakley, who died in May, and began addressing civic groups.

But some in his politically powerful family opposed Max's bid and newspaper polls over the weekend showed he was running either just slightly ahead or tied with two other Democratic politicians.

And the Boston Herald on Friday reported Kennedy had been arrested along with his cousin Michael Skakel on charges of assault and disorderly conduct when the pair were teenagers.

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