Caroline Kennedy: Clinton Senate Replacement? (SLIDESHOW)
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UPDATE 12/18
The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports that Kennedy plans to run for Senate whether or not she's appointed:
"It's my first time in Rochester, but I'll be back as many times as Chuck Schumer," Kennedy said, referring to New York's other Democratic senator, who coincidentally also stopped in Rochester on Wednesday.Asked whether she would run for the office if Gov. David Paterson doesn't appoint her, she replied: "Absolutely."
UPDATE 12/16, 4:40 PM
While some have reacted skeptically to Caroline Kennedy's Senate bid, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is reportedly on her side:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) urged New York Gov. David Paterson to appoint Caroline Kennedy to the Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to a Democratic strategist familiar with Reid's thinking.
Reid and Paterson spoke by phone last week, according to the source. The call was not prompted by Kennedy or anyone in her inner circle but rather was based on Reid's belief in her qualifications to serve and her ability to run for and win the seat in a 2010 special election.
UPDATE 12/15, 11:57 PM
Politico reports that Kennedy has hired a Democratic insider to help her nail down more support:
After a week of coy courtship and low-key feelers, Kennedy began working the phones in earnest Monday -- and signed up major Democratic fixer Josh Isay, who has deep connections to New York powerhouses Sen. Charles Schumer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Rev. Al Sharpton...
Hiring Isay accomplishes several goals for Kennedy. It signals her seriousness to Gov. David Paterson, who has been cool to her weeklong whisper campaign; it initiates her courtship of state power brokers who know her only through the media and the History Channel; and it "scares the s---" out of lesser-known Democrats actively pursuing the appointment, the New York Democrat said.
UPDATE 12/15, 10:10 PM
The New York Times reports that Kennedy is the clear frontrunner and that New York Gov. David Paterson has grown fond of her, viewing her as a strong candidate:
But several people who have counseled the governor on the impending vacancy said that Ms. Kennedy has emerged as a clear frontrunner, if she proves able to withstand the intense scrutiny and criticism that her decision to seek the seat is likely to provoke. Ms. Kennedy is now launching a public effort to demonstrate that she has both the ability and the stomach to perform the job, with plans to visit parts of the upstate region. The governor, who has expressed frustration with other elected officials for campaigning too openly, has done nothing to discourage her, said a person who has spoken with Ms. Kennedy.
In addition, a person with direct knowledge of the conversations said that Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Paterson had spoken several times in recent days and that the governor had grown increasingly fond of her. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing the governor, said that Mr. Paterson also has come to see Ms. Kennedy as a strong potential candidate whose appointment would keep a woman in the seat and whose personal connections would allow her to raise the roughly $70 million required to hold the seat in the coming years...
UPDATE 12/15, 8:45 PM
Politico reports that Kennedy has already received an endorsement:
Not a bad one: Upstate New York Rep. Louise Slaughter put out a statement just now Congresswoman Slaughter Endorses Caroline Kennedy for Senate endorsing Kennedy, who she says "has spent her whole life fighting for what she believes in - she is a champion of public education, a lawyer, and an accomplished author."
"Caroline Kennedy understands that the stakes have never been higher for our state and our nation. We need our next Senator to have the skills and the stature to help bring about the change we need," Slaughter said, echoing Obama's slogan.
UPDATE 12/15, 6:45 PM
Kennedy's decision to seek the Senate seat surprised many political observers, including Time magazine's Karen Tumulty, though she notes that Kennedy has recently dropped hints that she wanted to become more engaged in politics:
Caroline Kennedy once seemed to be just about the only member of the Kennedy clan who was immune to the lure of politics, choosing to make her mark instead by writing and through a number of charitable endeavors. But when I asked Kennedy last January about her surprising decision to publicly endorse Barack Obama after decades of guarding her private life, her answer hinted that President Kennedy's daughter might be open to even bigger things ahead. "I really felt like it was a crucial moment, and if I had something that I believed in, then I really owed it to myself to express that," she told me. "I recently turned 50, so I figured, I'd better get going -- what am I waiting for?"
UPDATE 12/15, 1:45 PM
The New York Times has reported that Caroline Kennedy will seek Hillary Clinton's senate seat.
The decision came after a series of deeply personal and political conversations, in which Ms. Kennedy, who friends describe as unflashy but determined, wrestled with whether to give up what has been a lifetime of avoiding the spotlight.
Ms. Kennedy will ask that Gov. David A. Paterson consider her for the appointment. The governor was traveling to Utica today could not immediately be reached for comment.
See a slideshow of Kennedy through the ages:
UPDATE 12/10: The New York Observer endorses Kennedy:
As Governor David Paterson mulls a list of terrific candidates to fill Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be vacant Senate seat, near or at the top of that list should be Caroline Kennedy.
Ms. Kennedy's unexpected availability could make the governor's decision much easier. He's bound to alienate one group or another--perhaps several--if he chooses from among the pool of politicians already in office. While New York would be well represented by several of the potential would-be senators, none has the star power, magnetism and, let's face it, the magic of Caroline Kennedy.
UPDATE 12/9 The New York Times reports that Caroline Kennedy's uncle, Ted, has been working hard behind the scenes to have her appointed to Hillary Clinton's New York Senate seat:
While Caroline Kennedy is maintaining her public silence about whether she wishes to succeed Senator Hillary Clinton, her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, has been working behind the scenes on her behalf, according to Democratic aides.In recent days the Massachusetts senator has called Gov. David A. Paterson and Senator Charles E. Schumer, as well as Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who took over last month as head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee when Mr. Schumer stepped down.
UPDATE 12/8: Sources close to Gov. Paterson say Caroline Kennedy's chances of replacing Hillary Clinton are slim, the New York Post reports:
The odds of Gov. Paterson choosing Caroline Kennedy to replace soon-to-be Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in the US Senate are no better than 20-1, a source close to the governor said yesterday.
The source was responding to news that Sen. Ted Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other family members have been pushing hard for Caroline to replace Clinton. "It looks to me like [Caroline's cousin] Bobby Kennedy may be trying to push Caroline more than Caroline is pushing herself," a Paterson administration source told The Post.
UPDATE 12/7: The New York Post reports that Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy is lobbying for his niece Caroline.
Powerful senator and family patriarch Ted Kennedy has been working back channels to promote niece Caroline as the replacement for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate, family sources told The Post.
The elder Kennedy (D-Mass.), who's battling brain cancer, has sent word to Gov. Paterson's office that Caroline Kennedy, 51, has contacts and family connections that would mean legislation affecting New York would receive prompt attention, family sources said.
UPDATE 6pm EST
AP is now reporting that Caroline Kennedy approached New York Governor Paterson about taking over Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. Earlier reports said she had talked to the Governor, but did not indicate her interest in the seat.
Read more from the AP and see an excerpt below:
Caroline Kennedy has spoken to New York Gov. David Paterson about the Senate seat that will come open when Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes secretary of state, according to a person familiar with the conversation.
Kennedy reached out to the governor to discuss the Senate seat, according to the Democratic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversation was private. The source would not disclose the details of the conversation.
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ABC News reports that Hillary Clinton's Senate seat might be filled by none other than Caroline Kennedy:
Another Senator Kennedy? The crazy speculation about Hillary Clinton's Senate seat may not be so crazy after all. A Democrat who would know tells ABC News that New York governor David Paterson has talked to Caroline Kennedy about taking the seat, which was once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy. It's not exactly shocking that Paterson would reach out to one of the most highly respected public figures in New York, but this is: Sources say Kennedy is considering it, and has not ruled out coming to Washington to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.
A few years ago, the famously private Caroline Kennedy would be the last Kennedy expected to serve in Congress, but of course, she took on a much more high-profile role during the presidential campaign and, if she does it, would be more than New York's junior Senator; she'd have closer ties to the Obama White House than any of her colleagues, a direct line to the East Wing.
Read more about Clinton's Senate seat.
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The Huffington Post | December 5, 2008 09:19 AM