Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend (born July 4, 1951) was lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. She ran for Governor of Maryland in 2002. The oldest of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel's 11 children, she is part of the Kennedy political family. She was named for her aunt Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, Marchioness of Hartington, who died in a plane crash in 1948.

Early life and career

Townsend was born in Greenwich, Connecticut and spent most of her childhood in McLean, Virginia, though she attended school in nearby Montgomery County, Maryland. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University, receiving her bachelor's degree in history and literature. She then studied at the University of New Mexico law school, receiving her Juris Doctor degree in 1978. For several years she worked as an attorney.

In 1986, Townsend ran for Congress in Maryland's second Congressional district, losing to Helen Delich Bentley 41% to 59%, thus becoming the first Kennedy to lose an election. She then went to work for the state government of Maryland, holding numerous government posts including assistant Attorney General. She also served on the State Board of Education, and as a presidential elector in 1992. Following this, she worked for two years in the Clinton administration, as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General.

Townsend married David Lee Townsend, and together they have had four daughters: Meaghan, Maeve, Rose, and Kerry.

Lieutenant Governor of Maryland

In 1994, Parris Glendening was running for Governor in a highly contested primary against Lt. Governor Melvin A. Steinberg and "American" Joe Miedusiewski. Glendening's selection of Townsend to serve as his running mate was widely credited for giving his campaign national support, and Kennedy money, ultimately for winning the Democratic primary. In the General election, Glendening and Townsend beat Republican candidate Ellen Sauerbrey in one of Maryland's closest and most controversial gubernatorial elections. The election was in doubt as charges of voter fraud led to a lawsuit by the Sauerbrey campaign to overturn the election, which was ultimately unsuccessful. The same tickets squared off again in 1998, but with a wider margin of victory, again voter fraud came into play.

2002 Maryland Gubernatorial election

In the Maryland gubernatorial election of 2002, Lt. Gov. Townsend ran as a Democrat, facing off against Republican Bob Ehrlich and Libertarian Spear Lancaster.

During the election, Townsend was criticized for her choice of running mate; she picked retired Admiral Charles Larson, a novice politician who had switched parties only a few weeks before. Larson was also a white male, unlikely to help minority turnout. In contrast, Ehrlich's running mate was Michael S. Steele, an African-American lawyer who had been chairman of the Republican Party of Maryland. The Townsend campaign was also hurt by the unpopularity of Governor Parris Glendening, who had implemented a partisan racial redistricting proposal that was overturned by Maryland's highest court. Townsend's popularity continued to fall when it was reported that much of her campaign money was given by out-of-state donors; Ehrlich remained quiet while the Lt. Governor's poll numbers declined.

Even though Maryland traditionally votes Democratic and had not elected a Republican Governor in almost 40 years, Townsend lost the race, gaining 48% of the vote to Ehrlich's 51% and Lancaster's 1%. Ehrlich became only the seventh Republican governor in state history, resulting in heavy criticism directed at Townsend from many party activists. In the end, most observers agreed she ran a weak campaign; specifically, they cited a lack of planning, claiming that she hastily booked campaign stops in rural areas hostile to her and produced campaign literature of poor printing quality.

Election history