Former DNC Chief Kirk to Get Kennedy's Seat

But allies say he was passed over due to Kennedy pressure

(NEWSER) - For a while it looked as if Michael Dukakis would be headed to the Senate to fill Ted Kennedy's seat, but the former Massachusetts governor says he's fine with being passed over. "Hey, after you've run for the presidency of the United States..." the 1988 candidate told the Boston Globe before trailing off. He has nothing but praise for Paul Kirk, the former DNC chairman whom Gov. Deval Patrick selected: "If it had to be somebody else, believe me, this was the guy." More»

Family friend, former staffer was emcee at Teddy's memorial

(NEWSER) - Deval Patrick has chosen former Democratic Party national chairman Paul Kirk to replace Ted Kennedy in the Senate, giving Barack Obama the 60th vote he needs to pass health care reform. The 71-year-old Kirk is a former Kennedy staffer, and was such close friends with the senator that he served as master of ceremonies at his memorial service. He’s also a former pharmaceutical company lobbyist, and a board member at Hartford Insurance Group. More»

Dukakis would have been a better choice for Mass. and Patrick

(NEWSER) - Ted Kennedy’s seat “is not a Kennedy seat anymore.” His wife could have run. Or his nephew Joe. They chose not to. So why did Massachusetts' governor bow to the wishes of a now-defunct dynasty when choosing a replacement for the late senator? “Enough, finally, with the entitlement,” Boston Herald columnist Margery Eagan writes of the appointment of Kennedy confidant Paul Kirk, made official today. Kirk's ties to the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, reported elsewhere in the Herald, raise big red flags. More»

(NEWSER) - Gov. Deval Patrick should be able to name a Democratic replacement for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat before the end of the week, the Boston Globe reports. Legislation giving hm the authority to do so cleared the state Senate today, a week after the House passed it. The measure still needs to be formally enacted tomorrow, but no further snags are expected. So who will Patrick pick? A Globe editorial today pushed for Michael Dukakis. More»

Move to change Mass. election law gains momentum

(NEWSER) - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick came out in support yesterday of Ted Kennedy’s request that he be given the power to appoint someone to fill Kennedy's Senate seat until a special election can be held, the Boston Globe reports. “I’d like the Legislature to take up the bill quickly and get it to my desk, and I will sign it,” he told the Globe. Under current law Kennedy would not be replaced until after a special election in January, at the earliest, and the governor can't name someone in the meantime. More»