Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (born July 4, 1951) was lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. She ran for Governor of Maryland in 2002. The oldest of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel's 11 children, she is part of the Kennedy political family. She was named for her aunt Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, Marchioness of Hartington, who died in a plane crash in the 1940s.

Townsend was born in Greenwich, Connecticut. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University, receiving her bachelor's degree in history and literature. She then studied at the University of New Mexico law school, receiving her law degree in 1978. For several years she worked as an attorney; following this period, she went to work for the state government of Maryland, holding numerous government posts including assistant Attorney General. She also served on the State Board of Education , and as a presidential elector in 1992. Following this, she worked for two years in the Clinton administration, as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General. She later returned to the Maryland state government and served as lieutenant governor to Parris Glendening.

In the Maryland gubernatorial election of 2002, Lt. Gov. Townsend ran as a Democrat, facing off against Republican Bob Ehrlich and Libertarian Spear Lancaster.

During the election, Townsend was criticized for her choice of running mate; she picked retired Admiral Charles Larson, a novice politician who had switched parties only a few weeks before. Larson was also a white male, unlikely to help minority turnout. In contrast, Ehrlich's running mate was Michael Steele, an African-American lawyer who had been chairman of the Republican Party of Maryland. Townsend's popularity continued to fall when it was reported that much of her campaign money was given by out-of-state donors; Ehrlich remained quiet while the Lt. Governor's poll numbers declined.

Even though Maryland traditionally votes Democratic, Townsend lost the race, gaining 48% of the vote to Ehrlich's 51% and Lancaster's 1%. Ehrlich became only the seventh Republican governor in state history, resulting in heavy criticism directed at Townsend from many party activists. In the end, most observers agreed she ran a weak campaign; specifically, they cited a lack of planning, claiming that she hastily-booked campaign stops in rural areas hostile to her and produced campaign literature of poor printing quality.

She married David Lee Townsend November 17, 1973 in Washington, D.C.. They have 4 daughters: Meaghan Anne (b. November 7, 1977 in Santa Fe, New Mexico), Maeve Fahey (b. November 1, 1979 in New Haven, Connecticut), Rose Katherine (b. December 17, 1983 in Weston, Massachusetts), and Kerry Sophia (b. November 30, 1991 in Bethesda, Maryland).

External links

• Official state government biography

• Summary of Townsend's positions on the issues