 Kennedy ran for the Manitoba Liberal Party in the electoral district of St. Vital in a 1971 by-election and the 1973 general election.In the 1971 by-election, he campaigned against the amalgamation of St. Vital into the new "unicity" of Winnipeg.In 1973, he was supported by many Progressive Conservatives as the candidate most likely to defeat New Democratic Party incumbent Jim Walding.