Massachusetts governor names a new senator

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is expected to appoint former Democratic National Committee Chairman Paul G. Kirk to fill Sen. Ted Kennedy’s vacant Senate seat later this morning. Kirk has been a longtime Kennedy family friend, and Ted Kennedy’s family reportedly lobbied the governor on Kirk’s behalf. Kirk will hold the seat until a special election in January seats a replacement for the remainder of Kennedy’s term. Frank Phillips, the state house bureau chief for the Boston Globe, joins us with the details of the nomination.