Temporary Replacement Found for Ted Kennedy’s Senate Seat

Temporary Replacement Found for Ted Kennedy’s MA Senate Seat

Written by: Karen Benardello


Former Democratic Party chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. was named on Thursday to temporarily fill the Massachusetts senate seat left vacant by the late Edward Kennedy. While Gov. Deval Patrick acknowledged the choice was controversial, he felt it was more important not to be “one voice short” on the issues before Congress.

The Massachusetts Legislature set the way for the announcement when it approved a bill on Wednesday allowing the governor to make an interim appointment. Even though the legislation would not take effect immediately, Patrick signed an emergency letter to make the appointment right away.

However, the Massachusetts Republican Party did not agree with Patrick’s choice, and urged Secretary of State William F. Galvin to initially reject the governor’s request to make the legislation effective immediately. The party pointed to the fact that prior decisions by the Supreme Judicial Court showed the governor’s power applied only when a law is subject to a public referendum. The party also wanted Galvin to wait at least a week, so that they could seek an advisory opinion from the court.

But Kennedy’s widow, Vicki, and their son, Edward Jr., supported the decision, and even attended the announcement at the Massachusetts Statehouse. Kirk is a Kennedy family friend who served on Ted Kennedy’s staff for eight years early in his career. Kirk is also the chairman of the JFK Library Foundation, a Boston attorney and sits on the board of Hartford Financial Services, which sells life and property insurance.

Kirk will serve until a special election is held on January 19, during which voters will pick Kennedy’s permanent replacement. However, Kirk will not be a candidate in that election. He was picked partly because he poses no threat to the candidates competing in the special election, as he has never served in political office.

Kirk showed his gratitude of being picked by saying “He (Sen. Kennedy) often said that representing the people of Massachusetts in the Senate of the United States was the highest honor that he could possibly imagine, and it is certainly nothing that I imagined, but it will be my highest honor, as well.”