Caroline Kennedy Confirms End to Senate Bid:In a one-sentence statement released early Thursday, Kennedy says she has told Gov.
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Caroline Kennedy withdrew from consideration for the U.S. Senate seat once held by her slain uncle, Bobby Kennedy, after a night of turmoil and uncertainty over her intentions.
“I informed Governor Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she said in a one-sentence statement released after midnight. Her spokesman, Stefan Friedman, wouldn’t comment further.
Her uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, suffered a seizure on Inauguration Day.
Spokesmen for Caroline Kennedy and for Gov. David Paterson, who will make the appointment to fill the seat, wouldn’t comment.
The hours of mixed signals Wednesday night were the latest twist in the Kennedy effort, which began with popular support that withered after she drew criticism in her brief upstate tour and early press interviews.
The reports were a shock to supporters and to Paterson, who had appeared likely to appoint her to the seat.
Edward Kennedy, who has been treated for an aggressive brain tumor, suffered a seizure Tuesday at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
The New York Post was first to report his niece’s withdrawal from the Senate contest.
The New York Times cited a source it didn’t identify as saying Kennedy withdrew out of concern for her uncle and his illness. But the Post cited an unidentified source as saying she dropped out because she learned Paterson had decided not to choose her.
The AP initially reported Kennedy had withdrawn from the race but corrected the story about an hour later after the person who gave that information said it was an error. News reports changed through the night as people close to Kennedy either denied or softened their comments before Kennedy ended the uncertainty by issuing her statement.
Paterson said that on Wednesday he would begin reviewing the candidates’ responses to the 28-page questionnaires he had asked applicants to complete. The forms asked about personal finances and other background issues, many of which Kennedy has[…]