Recently retired Rep. Barney Frank's typically outspoken campaign to replace Sen. John Kerry is dead. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who never warmed to Frank's bid, chose his former chief of staff to replace Kerry, President Obama's new secretary of state.
An election to replace Kerry permanently takes place June 25. The expected candidates include Democratic Rep. Ed Markey and former GOP Sen. Scott Brown.
Patrick, in picking William "Mo" Cowan, said, "He has been a valued ally to me and our work on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth. ...In every step, he has brought preparation, perspective, wisdom, sound judgment, and clarity of purpose."
Cowan is the first African-American to represent Massachusetts in the Senate since Republican Edward Brooke from 1966 to 1978.
Cowen is a leader of the American Constitution Society's Boston Lawyer Chapter,
ACS President Caroline Fredrickson lauded the announcement in a statement provided to Secrets:
"As a member of the ACS Boston Lawyer Chapter's Board of Advisors, Mo has provided invaluable leadership for bolstering our network of progressive lawyers in Boston. Mo will prove just as successful in representing the interests of the Commonwealth's citizens. We remain grateful for the committed involvement Mo has provided our organization's work to advance the progressive values and principles of the U.S. Constitution."
