The legislation to allow the appointment of an interim Senator from Massachusetts until the January 19, 2010 special election cleared a big hurdle today:
The state Senate passed a bill this afternoon that would allow Governor Deval Patrick to name an interim successor to Edward M. Kennedy, potentially paving the way for appointment of a new US senator later this week.This means there will be 60 Democratic Senators, provided Senator Byrd is healthy enough to show up. (He did end up in the hospital again today.)
The Senate approved the measure by a 24-16 vote, leaving one final procedural hurdle in both chambers before the bill heads to Patrick's desk. The House and Senate are expected to enact the bill on Wednesday, a formality unlikely to derail the effort.
The Obama administration was actively involved in the process in Massachusetts. As both the NY Times and Washington Post noted on their respective front pages today, the political crew at the White House is unabashed about engaging in state political issues.
