Dukakis says he’s not a potential replacement for Kerry in the Senate


Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis said Monday he isn’t a potential candidate to replace Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in the Senate if President Obama taps Kerry for the secretary of State job.

“I’m headed for the West to teach,” Dukakis told WBZ News in Boston. When asked if Massachusetts Gov. Duval Patrick (D) had contacted him about potentially replacing Kerry, Dukakis said, “That’s a no.”

Multiple media reports indicate Obama has decided to nominate Kerry as the next secretary of State, although the nomination seems to have been delayed until later in the week because of the elementary school shooting in Connecticut.

If Kerry is confirmed, Patrick would have to fill his seat until a special election can be held next year, and would likely appoint a placeholder who has no interest in running in what will be a high-profile special election.

On Monday, two sources told The Hill that Patrick was considering Dukakis as an interim replacement.

David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said he had heard Dukakis floated as an interim successor along with Vicki Kennedy, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) widow.

And another Boston-based Democratic operative said he had also heard both Dukakis and Kennedy mentioned as possible interim successors. 

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