Former Democratic Party chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr., third from left, smiles (from left) Ted Kennedy Jr., his wife Gail Kirk, Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Victoria Kennedy, widow of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, in the governor's office at the Statehouse in Boston Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009 prior to the announcement that Kirk will temporarily fill the late Sen. Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat.
 / AP Photo/Elise Amendola, Pool