Some news from Boston

The Boston Globe reports that Joseph Kennedy II will not run for Governor in 2006.

With a jab at Governor Mitt Romney, Joseph P. Kennedy II yesterday declared he will not run for governor next year, an announcement that is sure to disappoint some Democrats seeking to reclaim the office but that gives other potential candidates a chance to begin laying the groundwork for their campaigns.

"I have no intention of running for governor," said Kennedy, the 52-year-old former Massachusetts congressman, who has been operating his nonprofit fuel assistance program since he gave up his seat in 1998. "I am not looking to get back into elective office."

"I am not trying to equivocate at all," Kennedy said, when pressed by reporters as to whether he has completely ruled out the possibility of jumping into the race at some point in the future. "You make these decisions about this issue and then you move on."

At a press conference in South Boston to tout a $15 million fuel-assistance bill before the Legislature, Kennedy said he was "happily doing my work" at Citizens Energy Corporation, was enjoying his lifestyle as a private citizen, and did not want to plunge back into public life.

For each gubernatorial race since 1990, the question -- would Kennedy run? -- has loomed over the Democratic Party's early primary campaigns, often freezing others from joining the races until he announced his decision.

Because of Kennedy's popularity and near-celebrity status, some leaders and activists in the Democratic Party, which has not won a governor's race in the Bay State since 1986, had hoped this year the answer would be yes, feeling that he represented their best chance to defeat Romney.

His comments came just hours after Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, who is telling supporters he is committed to a race for governor, gave his first major campaign speech, in which he attacked Romney and his governing style.

Best of luck, Joe.