Joe Kennedy III officially announces run for United States Senate

Joe Kennedy III officially announced his run for the United States Senate this morning against Ed Markey. His run will leave his U.S. Representative spot open.

Here are pieces of a statement he released to supporters this morning.

“I’m running for US Senate.”

“I’m running because our country is at a moment of truth.”

“Donald Trump has forced a long overdue reckoning in America. And how we respond will say everything about who we are.”

“Yes, that means confronting Trump. Every single day.”

“But our focus must be bigger and bolder than simply stopping Donald Trump.”

“We have to take on the broken system that gave rise to Trump in the first place. The outdated structures and old rules, the everyday oppressions and injustices that hold our people back and have exploited American families for generations.”

“We’re fighting for a new politics and a new economy – a new America that stands up for every person who calls this country home.”

“A just economy. Absolute civil rights. Humane immigration policy. A health care system of salvation, not scarcity. A justice system of equity, not oppression. A planet that will survive for our kids and grandkids. And governing structures that amplify rather than ignore our people’s voices.”

“I’ve spent my career fighting for the folks who have been shut out, let down, and left behind.”

“I’m running for US Senate so we can build a new system that won’t fail them again.”

“Since Donald Trump’s election, I have had countless conversations with my constituents. I’ve told them not to give up. I have implored them to do more. I have begged them to reach deeper, fight harder, put more on the line – because everything we believe in is at stake.”

“I’m running for Senate to do the same.”

“This isn’t a time for waiting, for sitting on the sidelines, or for playing by rules that don’t work anymore.”

“This is the fight of our lives, the fight of my generation — and I’m all in.”