Jack decided it was time to pursue a new career in politics. The only question was, what office to run for?  Two possibilities presented themselves. He could either run for Congress from the Eleventh District of Boston or run for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. Jack pondered this question through the winter and early spring of 1946.  Jack concentrated in making himself more visible publicly. He gave over 200 speeches throughout Massachusetts in the months before he announced his candidacy. He also founded the Joseph Kennedy, Jr. Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter.  The chapter would act as an early meeting place for his supporters. In a radio address on April 22nd, Kennedy announced his candidacy for Congress. He declared, "the temper of the times imposes an obligation upon every thinking citizen to work diligently in peace, as we served tirelessly in war." Kennedy faced a number of significant obstacles in his campaign, despite his status as a war hero. He was young and he was a political unknown. He was a rich, Harvard graduate, trying to be elected in a district largely made up of working-class people.  Kennedy campaigned tirelessly. He canvassed the neighborhoods, house-to-house. He worked in subway stations, visited police stations, fire stations, and every other gathering place where he could potentially find support. Jack took out billboard advertisements. He arranged to have 100,000 reprints of an article that had been written by John Hersey for Reader's Digest, chronicling Jack's exploits in the South Pacific.  In addition, all of the members of his family helped out. His younger brother Robert worked by his side, and his youngest brother, Teddy, age 14, served as a messenger boy. His mother hosted tea parties and his father worked behind the scenes. Jack became a better campaigner. At the outset, he had been stiff and awkward. As the campaign progressed, Jack's natural charm emerged. Before long, he was able to work the crowd. It was said that when he left a room, he left it full of supporters.   More than anything else, however, Jack’s status as a returning war hero helped his campaign. He deployed many fellow veterans to work on his behalf. All of these efforts resulted in Jack Kennedy achieving a spot on the ballot. In the end, the vote was not even close. Kennedy amassed over 40% of the vote from a field of nine primary candidates. In the fall, Jack went on to an easy victory in the general election against Republican Lester Rowen, who provided only token opposition.   e Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald first met and fell in love in the summer of 1906. At that point, her father did not think Joe was a suitable suitor for his daughter's hand. However, the couple was determined to marry and in October 1914, after a four month formal engagement, the two were wed.