Sen. Kennedy's cancer diagnosis has rocked the political world.
Michael Graham notes that Gov. Patrick is harmed somewhat by the diagnosis:
So which Democrat will Deval Patrick appoint to replace Ted Kennedy, should the senator be unable to serve?Thanks to the Democrats of the Massachusetts legislature, the answer is: nobody.
Horrified by the possibility of Gov. Romney replacing John Kerry with a Republican in 2004, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill stripping the governor of the power to make an interim appointment. The same legislature that hasn't been able to get rid of the "temporary" income tax hike in 20 years passed this new law in about 2 days. Gov. Romney vetoed it, the legislature overrode it...and Kerry lost.
As a result of that forward-thinking action by the legislature, Gov. Patrick is now denied the right to make any appointment, should Sen. Kennedy be forced to leave office. Instead, the state will hold a special election no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days of any vacancy.
So instead of a Patrick ally running as an incumbent, there will be a wide-open Democratic primary to replace Sen. Ted. According to a spokesperson in the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office, any primary would be held after the 145 day deadline, with a general election six weeks after that.
UPDATE: More from the Herald and Globe.
