This week, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a very strong ally of the LGBT community, announced he wasn't running for reelection. That's created an opening for David Cicilline, the openly gay mayor of Providence, to run for the seat:
The mayor of Providence, R.I., and a former state Democratic Party official are running for Patrick Kennedy's U.S. House seat.
Kennedy announced this week that he would not seek a ninth term.
Providence Mayor David Cicilline (sis-uh-LEEN'-ee) says he's in the race. In 2002, the 48-year-old attorney became the first openly gay man elected mayor of Providence. He promised to clean up city government after a City Hall corruption scandal.
Former Democratic Party chairman Bill Lynch, a 52-year-old attorney, also formally declared himself a candidate for Kennedy's seat on Saturday.
