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Republican Andrew H. Card Jr., who was a chief of staff under former president George W. Bush, said last night that he would probably run for the seat left vacant by the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, prompting another prospective candidate, state Senator Scott Brown, to rule out a bid if Card entered. Card, who served four terms as a state representative for Holbrook before taking a succession of jobs in Washington, told the News Service the chances were “much better than 50 percent that I will find a way to say yes.’’ He said he would probably make a...

Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card will address members of the state GOP at a committee meeting tonight in Newton, potentially signaling his intention to run for the Senate seat vacated by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Herald has learned. Card, 62, a Holbrook native, will attend the meeting at the Newton Marriott, according to a Republican source with knowledge of the logistics. Card’s appearance follows an announcement by GOP gubernatorial hopeful Christy Mihos this morning that he will not quit his quest to unseat Gov. Deval Patrick and make a bid for the Senate. Mihos...

WRENTHAM - State Sen. Scott Brown today said he is “about 90 percent” sure he will run for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s seat, and outlined a campaign strategy designed to play down his GOP credentials. Brown’s entrance would make him the second and most well-known Republican in the race. GOP Canton selectman Robert Barr announced yesterday he will seek the seat. The Democratic field is filling as well. Yesterday's announcement that former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy, the late senator’s nephew, would not run was expected to draw in additional Democrats. Brown said he will likely announce Thursday, or Friday...

Joseph P. Kennedy II said today he will not make a bid for the senate seat held by his late uncle Edward M. Kennedy, in a bombshell announcement expected to draw candidates-in-waiting out from the wings. “Given all that my uncle accomplished, it was only natural to consider getting back involved in public office, and I appreciate all the calls of support and friendship that have poured in,” Kennedy said in a statement posted on the web site of Citizens Energy, of which he is the founder. “My father called politics an honorable profession, and I have profound respect for...

Renegade state Sen. Scott P. Brown, a Republican from Wrentham, told the Herald this morning he is “testing the waters” for a run at the seat of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Although he won’t formally declare his candidacy yet, Brown said he plans to spend the next week raising a small amount of money, as federal election laws permit for those who are exploring a run for U.S. Senate.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley appears to be the first candidate in a special election for the Senate seat left open by the death of Edward Kennedy.

BOSTON (AP) - Sen. John Kerry is positioning himself as the political heir to Edward Kennedy, pledging to thousands of people attending his town hall meeting in Massachusetts that he would fight for the health care overhaul championed by his colleague. More than 2,000 people turned up Wednesday night for Kerry's first public meeting since Kennedy's Aug. 25 death from brain cancer.

<p>BOSTON (Sept. 2) -- Curt Schilling, the former major league pitcher who won the allegiance of Bostonians by leading the Red Sox to the 2004 World Series, said Wednesday that he has "some interest'' in running for the seat held for nearly 50 years by Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Schilling, a registered independent and longtime Republican supporter, wrote on his blog that while his family and video gaming company, 38 Studios, are high priorities, "I do have some interest in the possibility.'" "That being said, to get to there, from where I am today, many, many things would have to align themselves for that to truly happen,'' he added. Any other comment "would be speculation on top of speculation,'' Schilling said, adding, "My hope is that whatever happens, and whomever it happens to, this state makes the decision and chooses the best person -- regardless of sex, race, religion or political affiliation -- to help get this state back to the place it deserves to be." Schilling refused to comment when his office was contacted by phone. The 42-year-old lives in suburban Medfield and campaigned for President George W. Bush in 2004 and Sen. John McCain in 2008. As a player, he won three World Series, in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in 2004 and 2007 with the Red Sox. He became a Sox legend when he won Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series while blood from an injured ankle seeped through his sock. He retired in March. He and his wife, Shonda, have four children ages 7 to 14.</p>

ST. PETERSBURG -- Former right-hander Curt Schilling -- who has always had an interest in politics -- confirmed Wednesday that he has been contacted about running for the seat vacated by late Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, who died last week after a prolonged bout with brain cancer. While acknowledging how busy he is in his post-playing career, Schilling did not rule out the possibility of making a run at the Senate. Schilling retired from baseball in March and currently runs an online game-development company called 38 Studios. "While my family is obviously the priority, and 38 Studios is a priority,...

BOSTON — Curt Schilling, the former major league pitcher who won the allegiance of Bostonians by leading the Red Sox to the 2004 World Series, said Wednesday that he has "some interest" in running for the seat held for nearly 50 years by Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Schilling, a registered independent and longtime Republican supporter, wrote on his blog that while his family and video gaming company, 38 Studios, are high priorities, "I do have some interest in the possibility." "That being said, to get to there, from where I am today, many, many things would have to align...

Add another name to the growing list of pols and would-be pols eyeing a run for Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat: Former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling. That's right, Mr. Bloody Sock himself apparently told NECN's Brad Puffer in an interview today that he, too, was considering running for the seat. Schilling would presumably run as a Republican -- he supported President George W. Bush in the 2004 election, and he campaigned for Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential race.

BOSTON -- Curt Schilling, the former major league pitcher who won the allegiance of Bostonians by leading the Red Sox to the 2004 World Series, said Wednesday that he has "some interest" in running for the seat held for nearly 50 years by Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Curt Schilling, best known for his bloody-sock pitching heroics, may step up to the plate and run for U.S. Senate. The retired Red Sox [team stats] ace said today in a telephone interview with NECN that even though his “plate is full,” he’s been contacted to consider a run for the open seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy. A Jan. 19 special election has been set by the governor to fill the post.

An election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat left vacant by Sen. Kennedy's death has been set by Gov. Deval Patrick (D). The special election will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 19, the governor announced during a press conference this afternoon. In the meantime, the governor said he hopes lawmakers will grant him the power to appoint a temporary replacement for the late Democratic senator, who first proposed the idea in the weeks before his death. "The Congress is debating some of the most historic legislation in decades bound to affect all," Patrick said. "I support the special election and...

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced Monday that the special election to fill the Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat will be held in January, but said he wants to make an interim appointment before then. Patrick set the general election for Jan. 19. A source close to the proceeding said the primary will be held Dec. 8. Under state law, the election must be 145 to 160 days after a vacancy. But Patrick said he will also push to change state law so that he can name an interim senator in the run-up to the election. Lawmakers have scheduled a public hearing...

Aug 31, 2009 Election For Kennedy Seat To Be Held Jan. 19th Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick Announces Date Of Special Election To Fill Late Edward M. Kennedy's Senate Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says the special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy will be held Tuesday, January 19, 2010. The primary election will be Tuesday, December 8, 2009. Possible contenders include Kennedy's widow Vicki, nephew and former Rep. Joseph Kennedy, Attorney General Martha Coakley and several members of the state's congressional delegation, reports CBS station WBZ-TV in Boston. Patrick says Vicki Kennedy has told him she...

No Senate Seat for Vicki Kennedy August 31, 2009 1:27 PM The trial balloon launched yesterday by Kennedy friends Chris Dodd and Orrin Hatch isn't going anywhere. A solid source assures me that Vicki Kennedy won't run in a special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat. She's not interested in an interim appointment if it becomes available.

UPDATE: Governor Deval Patrick announced today that a special election will be held on Jan. 19 to fill the seat vacated by the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. A state legislative committee will hold a hearing next week on a bill to allow Governor Deval Patrick to appoint a temporary replacement for Senator Edward M. Kennedy while a special election is held to fill his seat, a signal that Beacon Hill is moving to accommodate Kennedy's request that Massachusetts maintain two voices in the Senate. The House and Senate chairmen of the Joint Committee on Election Laws announced today...

Election for Kennedy Seat To Be Held Jan. 19thAug 31, 2009 3:15 pm US/Eastern BOSTON (WBZ) - Gov. Deval Patrick says the special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy will be held Tuesday, January 19, 2010. The primary election will be Tuesday, December 8, 2009. Possible contenders include Kennedy's widow Vicki, nephew and former Rep. Joseph Kennedy, Attorney General Martha Coakley and several members of the state's congressional delegation. Patrick says Vicki Kennedy has told him she is not interested in being appointed as an interim replacement. THE LAW Still unresolved is whether Massachusetts will...

Vicki Kennedy should be considered as a potential interim replacement for her late husband in the U.S. Senate, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said Sunday. "I think Vicki ought to be considered," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said on CNN's "State of the Union." "She's a very brilliant lawyer. She's a very solid individual," Hatch said of Sen. Edward Kennedy's widow. "She certainly made a difference in Ted's life, let me tell you. And I have nothing but great respect for her." Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), a close friend of Ted Kennedy, said he too would be supportive of...