AG Coakley Takes Out Papers To Run For Kennedy’s Seat

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has taken out papers to run for the Senate seat vacated by the late Edward M. Kennedy.

She is the only person who has received the papers as of Tuesday morning, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Coakley’s name has surfaced on a list of possible candidates for Kennedy’s former seat, but she has not made her candidacy official.

To get on the ballot for the senate race, a candidate must collect 10,000 signatures by Oct. 20.

The special primary election is schedule for Dec. 9. The general election is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2010.

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Charlie Safford

In general, I am not a big fan of many politicians. I’m going to make an exception here with regard to Martha Coakley running for Senate. Martha Coakley and I were classmates at the same small college in western Massachusetts. I knew her before she got into politics, when we were both just two kids from not so rich and famous families trying to mingle with people who were much better connected than we were. She was always smart and competent, always had integrity. She has also always been two things that are not always conducive to success in politics: she was uncommonly nice and she had a big heart. It may be that she comes from a somewhat more humble background and has needed to work for everything she has gotten, but if you look at her career in politics, she has been willing to go to bat for groups that aren’t rich and powerful, like children. So, in this one case I’m going to put aside my natural skepticism and cynicism about the people who try to get into positions of power. I’m for Martha.

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