Filling Kennedy’s Senate Seat

The Massachusetts Governor’s office is feeling pressure from Capitol Hill to sign into law a bill the late Senator Edward Kennedy proposed. If ratified, the bill would give Governor Deval Patrick the legal authority to name a temporary replacement for the senator. The existing law was established during John Kerry’s 2004 presidential run and specifically enacted to prevent then-Governer Mitt Romney from appointing a Republican replacement had the Democratic senator won the presidency; the law mandates Patrick wait at least 145 days to hold a special election. Timothy Murray is the Lieutenant Governor for the State of Massachusetts and tells us about the bill’s progress.