Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced Wednesday that he has picked his former chief of staff William “Mo” Cowan to temporarily fill the Senate seat left vacant by Senator John Kerry, D-Mass.
The appointment comes a day after the Senate voted 94 to 3 to confirm Kerry as the successor to outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Cowan, who previously served as chief of staff and chief legal counsel to Patrick, will fill the Senate seat until a new Senator is elected in a special election on June 25th.
“Mo’s service on the front lines in our efforts to manage through the worst economy in 80 years and build a better, stronger Commonwealth for the next generation has earned him the respect and admiration of people throughout government,” Patrick said.
He added, “The people of the Commonwealth have benefited from his wisdom and good judgment during his time in our office, and will again in the Senate.”
Cowan said he was “honored and humbled” by the appointment and pledged to work as hard possible to “perform my duties with the needs and aspirations of our state’s citizens foremost in mind.”
Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey, D-Mass., has already announced plans to run in the special election, while recent polls suggest former Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., would be the frontrunner on the Republican side.
Brown won the special election to replace the late Sen. Ten Kennedy in 2010 but lost his bid for re-election to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Some political pundits suggested that harsh Republican criticism of UN Ambassador Susan Rice, who had been seen as the likely nominee for Secretary of State, was part of an effort to push Obama toward nominating Kerry and opening his Senate seat to Brown.
Rice removed her name from consideration to succeed Clinton amid substantial criticism from Republicans for her comments regarding the deadly attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
by RTT Staff Writer
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