This was a year of great political change for Massachusetts. It marked the end of the Kennedy dynasty that began when John F. Kennedy first won a seat in Congress in 1946. With the death of Ted Kennedy, Massachusetts lost its most powerful advocate in Washington.
BOSTON — Massachusetts’ interim Senator, Paul Kirk, said the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy would have been proud that his state “provided the crucial 60th vote to pass this historic legislation.”
BOSTON — In a post-vote interview, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry explained the significance of the vote for the American people, referencing the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
WASHINGTON — The pre-dawn procession to the Senate had the feel of a bittersweet, Christmas Eve memorial, with Kennedy’s close friends and former staffers nearly filling the galleries, his name on the tips of everyone’s tongues.
BOSTON — Massachusetts Democrats are putting up a united front after Attorney General Martha Coakley topped the field of four candidates seeking their party’s nomination to the Senate seat once held by the late Edward M. Kennedy.
BOSTON — State Sen. Scott Brown, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, faces an uphill battle in the short general election campaign ahead. Massachusetts has not sent a Republican to Congress since 1994.
BOSTON — Paul G. Kirk Jr., the man was appointed to serve as interim senator to replace the late Edward M. Kennedy, has also been named as the executor of his will.
BOSTON — The late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s new memoir, “True Compass,” provides an inside look at some of the most formative times in the senator’s life. Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin was a long-time family friend of Ted Kennedy’s. She spoke to us from her home about the book and its insights into Kennedy’s life and legacy.
BOSTON — In “True Compass,” the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy describes how he found comfort in his family and its traditions. Later in life, he revived those traditions, especially with visits to Massachusetts landmarks such as Paul Revere’s House and Walden Pond. We discuss Kennedy’s memoir with its editor, Jonathan Karp.
BOSTON, MA — Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card will not seek the Senate seat that was held by Ted Kennedy. Card released a statement Friday night that said after careful consideration, a run for the Senate was, “not in the best interest of my family.” Card quickly threw his support to state Senator Scott Brown of Wrentham
BOSTON — With solemn words and bittersweet memories, the Senate paused Thursday to remember Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s nearly five decades in Congress and his passionate commitment to health care reform.
BOSTON — The text of the letter from Senator Edward M. Kennedy referenced by President Obama in Wednesday’s address on health care reform to a Joint Session of Congress.
BOSTON — The former six-term congressman says he cares about those seeking decent housing, fair wages and health care. But he added, “The best way for me to contribute to those causes is by continuing my work at Citizens Energy Corp.”
BOSTON — Attorney General Martha Coakley announced Thursday she will run as a Democratic candidate in the special election to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, declaring the state has had a “crisis of confidence” following Kennedy’s death last week.
SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Sen. John Kerry made his first appearance before Massachusetts residents since Sen. Edward M. Kennedy died, pledging that he would carry on Kennedy’s fight for health care.
Kennedy in 2006 (AP)
Edward M. Kennedy, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for 46 years and made a deeply personal connection to millions of Americans, died Aug. 25, 2009, after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. He was 77.
