Joe Kennedy to host Spanish-only town halls for Senate campaign

Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) is set to hold two Spanish-only town halls on Saturday as part of his campaign to challenge Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). 

The forums, which will not include a translator, are the first known Spanish-only town halls in history for someone running for Senate in Massachusetts. 

“At a time when too many people feel ignored and cut out of our political process, we are building as inclusive, transparent and accessible of a grassroots operation as we can,” Kennedy, a fluent Spanish speaker, told Mass Live earlier this week.

“With the growing base of Latinx voters across our commonwealth and country — and their immense contributions to every corner of American life — these town halls are an essential early part of our campaign, to directly hear the concerns, challenges, hopes and lived experience of every resident.”

Kennedy has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, saying President Trump’s family separation policy betrays American values. The congressman has also called for stricter government oversight of federal detention centers on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Kennedy, 39, announced last year that he is challenging Markey in the state’s Democratic Senate primary. The congressman is the grandson of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and says he is pushing for a generational change in Washington. 

A Suffolk University–Boston Globe survey released in September showed Kennedy leading Markey by 9 points. Markey’s allies and defenders have cited his approval rating among Massachusetts voters.