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Edward Moore ("Ted" or "Teddy") Kennedy (b. 1932) is the second longest-serving U.S. Senator, a Democrat from Massachusetts. His family has nearly controlled the Democratic Party for almost 50 years, beginning with his older brothers President [[John F. Kennedy]] (assassinated in 1963) and [[Robert F. Kennedy]] (assassinated in 1968). Ted Kennedy was long assumed to become the Democratic nominee for president himself, but the [[Chappaquiddick]] scandal in 1969 caused him to delay his candidacy until 1980, when he was unable to overcome the power of incumbency enjoyed by Democratic President [[Jimmy Carter]].
Ted Kennedy has always represented the most [[liberal]] side of the Democratic Party, from support for taxpayer-funded abortion to same-sex marriage. He is unbeatable in his home state of Massachusetts, but the crafty Senator [[Robert Byrd]] did defeat him for a leadership position (Majority Whip) in the Senate in 1971 and Kennedy was never able to become Majority Leader. Nevertheless, his political power behind the scenes is undisputed, and he played a key role in the crafting the language in the [[No Child Left Behind]] of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), a massive education bill signed into law by Republican President [[George W. Bush]].
He is currently Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where the first bill he pushed through was an increase in the minimum wage by $2.10, to $7.25.