THE SON OF the late and longtime Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy, Ted Kennedy Jr, has ruled out running for the vacant US Senate seat in Massachusetts.

Kennedy Jr had been tipped to run in the seat being vacated by John Kerry who is to become the new US Secretary of State next year.

But the Kennedy dynasty in Massachusetts – where Kennedy Sr was a senator for nearly 50 years – will not be continued by the Connecticut-based lawyer.

The 51-year-old said in a statement on Christmas Eve that he considered Connecticut to be his home and said that he hoped to be able to serve in public office in the future, the Washington Post reports.

This is now most likely to happen in the state where he lives.

The Boston Globe reports that the decision by Kennedy Jr was based on his desire to not uproot his family as well as him being uncomfortable with moving states for the purposes of political expediency.

His father Ted, brother of former president John and former presidential nominee Robert Kennedy, was a US Senator in Massachusetts right up until he died in 2009 following a long battle with brain cancer.

The seat vacated by Kennedy’s death was won in a special election by the Republican candidate Scott Brown but he lost this seat in November’s elections to Democrat Elizabeth Warren.

Brown has been mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for the seat vacated by Kerry’s nomination to the State Department although he has said he will not run again.

The Atlanta Black Star says that actor Ben Affleck has ruled out running for the seat with Massachusetts Democratic congressmen Ed Markey, Michael Capuano, and Stephen Lynch all said to be interested in running.

By State law Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick is required to name an interim replacement for Kerry once he departs on January 20 and assign a new date for a special election between 145 and 160 days.

Dynasty: Mr Kennedy goes to Washington? Family heir may run for US Congress