Robert F Kennedy's son Christopher to run for Governor for Illinois

Chicago: Another member of the Kennedy family entered American politics on Wednesday, as Christopher Kennedy announced his candidacy for governor of Illinois. The Kennedy heir is the son of Robert F Kennedy, known by many Americans simply as RFK.

The elder Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. A senator at the time, he was seeking the Democratic Party nomination for the presidency. He had previously been attorney general in the administration of his brother John F Kennedy, the 35th US president, himself assassinated in 1963.

Until now, Christopher Kennedy has mostly stayed out of politics, preferring a career in business. He will run as a Democrat seeking to replace Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, a Republican who is among the nation's least popular governors. 

The 53-year-old Kennedy is a businessman and real estate developer in Chicago, the third largest city in the nation. Illinois is one of the country's most populous and economically important states.

Kennedy also helps maintain the family's billion-dollar fortune, a key factor in his candidacy, as state Democrats have been looking for someone who can compete financially with Rauner, a millionaire businessman able to bankroll his own campaign.

In a video announcing his candidacy, Kennedy struck a mostly upbeat message, highlighting his work in business and philanthropy.

"I have a vision for the future that restores the economy," Kennedy said.

But he also indirectly criticised the Republican governor, who has locked horns with the Democrat-controlled state legislature and is stuck in a historic stalemate that has left the state without a budget for some 19 months.

"I'm running for governor, because this state is headed in the wrong direction," he said. "I believe that compromise is not surrender. That's how I think our state should work."

In a sign of the bruising and long political battle to come, the election is not until November 2018, the state's Republican Party quickly put up a web page attacking Mr Kennedy.

Kennedy is expected to face a challenge from other Democrats with eyes on the governor's mansion. He is the second candidate to formally announce.