Former Democratic National Committee chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. was the favored pick Thursday as Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick prepared to announce a temporary replacement for the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
Kennedy's sons, Edward Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., both lobbied for Kirk in separate phone calls to the governor, according to a family confidant and a Patrick aide. The governor scheduled a late-morning news conference at the Statehouse to declare his choice, and aides said Vicki Kennedy, the senator's widow, and his children were expected to attend as a sign of the family's approval.
Kennedy died last month of brain cancer, and an appointee will serve until a permanent successor is chosen through a special election scheduled for Jan. 19. The appointment will restore a critical 60th Democratic vote in the U.S. Senate as President Barack Obama pushes to pass a health care overhaul that was Kennedy's life passion. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., planned to attend the announcement ceremony, an aide said.
Kirk, 71, is a Boston attorney and was close friends with the senator. He and his wife, Gail, live on Cape Cod, and he was among the few regular visitors allowed at Kennedy's Hyannis Port home before his death.
Kirk knows the senator's staff intimately and would likely be assured of their loyalty given his relationship with Kennedy.
