Governor Must Soon Set Special Election

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August 26, 2009

Governor Must Soon Set Special Election

Even as America mourns Sen. Ted Kennedy's passing, would-be successors will have to line up quickly because of the calendar set under Massachusetts state law, CQ Politics reports.

Gov. Deval Patrick (D) must set the date of the general election for not more than 160 days, but not less than 145 days after a vacancy occurs. The primary election will be held six weeks before the general election, meaning the identity of Kennedy's likely successor will be known in less than four months.

Last week, Kennedy himself suggested in a letter to Patrick and legislative leaders that they change state law so that his successor could be appointed rather than wait five months for a special election.

However, as the New York Times notes, reaction in Boston to Kennedy's request "ranged from muted to hostile. The state's Democrats found themselves in the awkward position of being asked to reverse their own 2004 initiative calling for special elections in such instances."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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August 26, 2009