During last week’s debate with incumbent Ed Markey, Joe Kennedy III leaned into his newest and, frankly, best campaign strategy: repeating his prestigious name as many times as humanly possible.
The Senate-hopeful, who is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, reminded the audience of that fact at least two dozen times. Each mention of RFK generated eardrum-shattering amounts of artificial applause.
Kennedy also skillfully wove his pedigree into policy platforms. When asked his position on criminal justice reform, Kennedy responded: “As Joe Kennedy, I think the most important thing to remember about the criminal justice system is that I am Joe Kennedy.” Immediately following that sentence, his polling rose 4 percent.
Though Markey was strong through the first few questions, Kennedy quickly found his feet and gained control of the floor. He dominated the discussion, declaring “Joe Kennedy, Joe Kennedy, Joe Kennedy, Joe Kennedy, Joe Kennedy, Joe Kennedy.” Senator Markey was unable to get a word in for more than fifteen minutes.
Kennedy closed the debate by reminding voters that he’s not just a Kennedy, he’s also rich.
Written by contributor Jack Stebbins. Check out Jack on Instagram @stebbuns and Twitter @jackstebbs