Kennedy departure would require special election
BOSTON -- If Senator Edward Kennedy were to resign or die in office, state law requires a special election for the seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after the vacancy occurs.
Kennedy is the Senate's second-longest serving member. He was re-elected in 2006 and is not up for election again until 2012.
The state's law concerning vacancies was changed in 2004, when Senator John Kerry became the Democratic presidential nominee and Republican Mitt Romney was the state's governor.
Prior to the change, the governor would have appointed a replacement.
Among the potential candidates for a Senate vacancy would be Democrats Martha Coakley, the state's attorney general; Congressman Ed Markey; former Congressman Joe Kennedy and Senator Kennedy's wife, Vicki.
Among potential Republican candidates could be Romney or former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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