Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown blamed his staff Thursday for …
As a little girl, Caroline Kennedy hung out at her father's …
Sen. Scott Brown has revealed he was sexually abused as a child…
Advertisement
Former DNC head Kirk to replace Kennedy
Will serve until special election on January 19
Updated: Thursday, 24 Sep 2009, 6:45 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 24 Sep 2009, 11:33 AM EDT
BOSTON (AP) - The governor of Massachusetts has named former Democratic Party
chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. to temporarily fill the late Sen. Edward
Kennedy's seat.
Gov. Deval Patrick's announcement Thursday means Kirk will
serve in the post until voters pick a replacement in a Jan. 19
special election.
Patrick says the issues before Congress are "too important
to Massachusetts for us to be one voice short."
To make the appointment, Patrick signed legislation passed this
week giving him the power to appoint an interim replacement. He
also signed an emergency letter to make the legislation go into
effect immediately.
Kirk is a Kennedy family friend who served on the late
senator's staff for eight years and is chairman of the JFK Library
Foundation.
Kennedy's widow, Vicki Kennedy, and son Edward Kennedy Jr.
had urged Patrick to pick Kirk.
The appointment allows President Barack Obama to regain a
critical 60th U.S. Senate vote he needs to pass a health care
overhaul.
Email This
Print This
View Story on a Single PageAdvertisement
Advertisement