Massachusetts Senate Gives Go Ahead for Interim Pick

In a vote of 24 to 16 the Massachusetts State Senate pass a bill Tuesday to allow Governor Deval PatrickDeval Patrick to appoint an interim replacement for the late Sen. Edward M. KennedySen. Edward M. Kennedy.

BOSTON - Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick comes one step closer on Tuesday to naming an interim replacement for the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The state Senate passed the bill with a vote of 24 to 16 after the state House of Representatives approved the legislation last week. The bill will return to both chambers for the final vote Wednesday and then if passed sent to the Governor's desk for his signature.

Governor Patrick who favors the legislation will likely name a temporary successor sometime this week. Kennedy who passed away from brain cancer August made health care reform one of his major issues for close to fifty years. Patrick's pick will give Democrats that crucial 60th vote they need in the US Senate in order to block a possible Republican filibuster in the upcoming battle for health care reform.

In an interview with Reuters science professor at the University of Massachusetts Paul Watanabe said "All votes are crucial and the absence of that vote from Massachusetts would hurt those who are pushing for some form of health reform." He also added "Certainly all the indications are that President Obama had pushed for this."

The Massachusetts Senate also approved a separate resolution that "strongly discourages" a temporary appointee from running for the seat in the special election January.

During his final days Senator Kennedy called for the state to pass a bill to allow the Governor to name an interim senator upon his death, even as a new bill would reverse the legislation Democrats passed in 2004 in order to prevent Mitt RomneyMitt Romney a Republican Governor from naming Senator John KerryJohn Kerry's replacement if he were to win his bid for the Presidency.

Not all members were in agreement. "A stunning example of Democrat hypocrisy" said the Massachusetts Republican Party while a member of the Massachusetts Democratic Party Senator Thomas Kennedy (no relation to the late Senator Edward Kennedy) said "I'm very, very pleased with the number of senators that endorsed this and saw the value and the need for this."

A few names are floating out there for the interim appointment such as Michael DukakisMichael Dukakis and Paul Kirk with still the possibility of Patrick asking the late Senator's widow Victoria to accept the position.