Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) died last night, age 77, after an extended battle with brain cancer.
Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 1962, to the seat formerly held by his brother, President John F. Kennedy. Over the next several tumultuous years he survived the deaths of his brothers John and Robert, and turmoil both public and personal, to emerge as both a leading champion of American liberalism and a father figure for his whole extended family.
Kennedy ran unsuccessfully for President in 1980, challenging incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the Democratic primaries. In 2008, his endorsement of Barack Obama in the run-up to Super Tuesday gave Obama a boost that may very well have made the difference in that close race.
