Robert Kennedy Jr. entered Alabama's 2017 special election to the U.S. Senate as somewhat of a mystery. State and local Democrats had never met him, even if they did recognize the name.

But this Kennedy isn't that Kennedy. He isn't the son of the late U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy. He is not related to the famous political family.

Instead, Kennedy, during a phone interview with AL.com, said he grew up in Prichard in Mobile County - he says he has since moved back into the same house his parents grew up in - and he once served in the U.S. Navy.

Yet Kennedy, 47, chooses to continue to remain somewhat of a mystery. He won't discuss his current job, which he said he's been at for the past 3-1/2 years. His LinkedIn page indicates he's been involved in professional marketing, with his most recent job as vice-president and general manager of Precision Marketing.

"I'm not saying what it is right now because the company is out-of-state," said Kennedy about his current occupation. "It's not something I want to come out on now."

His online biography lists a business degree at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, where he met his wife Aqualyn Laury. Kennedy's online profile also includes previous marketing-related jobs with companies such as Harrah's Entertainment and Toys 'R Us.

Kennedy calls himself a "conservative Democrat" who wants to "lead by faith" and is a proponent of gun rights. He said he entered the Senate race to "lead by example."

"I'm different type of Democrat, and I'm a different type of candidate," said Kennedy. "I'm the best positioned of all the candidates in the entire field, whether Republicans or Democrats, to navigate through the bureaucracy."

Kennedy said he's pro-choice and supports marriage equality. He supports Obamacare - is opposed to any Republican plan to "repeal and replace" the national health care program - but advocates for fixing elements of the law that need to be changed.

He isn't a supporter of building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, as advocated by President Donald Trump.

Kennedy, who claims he has little money to campaign on, said he's busy running a grassroots campaign and meeting people in person.

"I start each of my conversations with 'Hey, I'm Robert Kennedy Jr. and I'm running for U.S. Senate,'" he said. "I then tell them I'm a Democrat and 75 percent of them groan. I respond that I'm a different kind of Democrat ... the faith, God, guns and freedom. Most people outside of the political establishment are saying that I like what you are having to say."

Kennedy, since filing to run for the seat last month, has since met with leading Democrats in the state such as Vivian Beckele, the head of the Mobile County Democrats and Nancy Worley, the state party chairwoman. Upon filing to run, both women said they had never heard of Kennedy. He has no prior political experience.

Kennedy isn't the only Alabama Senate candidate who is keeping a low profile.

Joseph Breault, a military chaplain seeking the Republican nomination, has declined to speak publicly about his campaign. His background, too, is a mystery among Alabama's GOP leaders.

The other Democratic candidates in Alabama for U.S. Senate are Will Boyd, Vann Caldwell, Jason Fisher, Michael Hansen, Doug Jones, Brian McGee and Charles Nana.