First Jim Langevin drops out of the Rhode Island race. Now Patrick Kennedy, too? Apparently.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., on Wednesday ruled out a run for the Senate in 2006, saying he could better serve his constituents by staying in the House and serving on the Appropriations Committee.

Kennedy has been in Boston caring for his mother, Joan Kennedy, who was hospitalized with a concussion and a broken shoulder after a passer-by found her lying in a street Tuesday.

In a statement, Kennedy did not cite family responsibilities as a reason for his decision, but he and his brother and sister recently took temporary guardianship of his mother to ensure she receives treatment for her alcoholism. Patrick Kennedy was seeking to become her permanent legal guardian.

"I am grateful for the support and encouragement I have received to run for the Senate," he said. "But over the past few days, I have determined that I can make the greatest difference in the lives of Rhode Island families by remaining on the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives and fighting for their priorities." The committee controls about a third of the nearly $2.6 trillion federal budget.

Polls had showed Langevin whalloping Chafee in a head-to-head matchup, and a run by Kennedy would have made Chafee's life extremely difficult. Secretary of State Matt Brown, the only Democrat left in the race, trailed Chafee by 14 points. Though former attorney general Sheldon Whitehouse, who has yet to enter the race, he fares little better than Brown. Linc Chafee, who just a month ago appeared to have a one-way ticket out of Washington, just might represent Rhode Island for another six years.