Senator Kennedy
"People know Senator Kennedy as an icon, but what they don't know is what a support he is to his colleagues. There were some rough spots in being the only Democratic woman senator while the nation was in the midst of a generational change. But Senator Kennedy was always encouraging. He was always on my side. He lifted my spirits," said Mikulski, currently recovering from ankle surgery at a rehab hospital in Baltimore. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the oldest of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's 11 children, is among the best known of the family's Maryland members. She served as lieutenant governor from 1995 to 2003 under Gov. Parris N. Glendening and was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2002, losing to Republican Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
The Kennedy family, in a public statement, described the senator as "the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply" and "the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives." The Kennedys said that "the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever." Kennedy died only 15 days after his older sister, Eunice, who was married to R. Sargent Shriver Jr. of Maryland and made her home in Potomac. Their son, Mark, served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates, from 1995 to 2003.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who defeated Shriver in the 2002 Democratic congressional primary, called Kennedy the Senate's "most gifted legislator" and a "tenacious fighter for working men and women who share the belief that America is the greatest country in the world. His passion and purpose were dedicated to righting wrongs and ensuring that our better days are ahead." Rep. John Sarbanes of Baltimore described Kennedy as "a real inspiration," not only to himself and others in politics, but to millions of ordinary people as well. The Democrat, who has been active in the House in the faltering effort to overhaul the health care system, said that he and others in Congress would now rededicate themselves on Kennedy's behalf.
