Ted Kennedy wants his niece to join him in Washington

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D - Massachusetts) wants New York Governor David A Paterson to appoint his niece, Caroline to fill the seat being vacated by his Democratic colleague from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was recently nominated for Secretary of State, the New York Post reported Monday.

Powerful senator and family patriarch Ted Kennedy has been working back channels to promote niece Caroline as the replacement for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate, family sources told The Post.

In part, the Post report stated;

The elder Kennedy (D-Mass.), who's battling brain cancer, has sent word to Gov. Paterson's office that Caroline Kennedy, 51, has contacts and family connections that would mean legislation affecting New York would receive prompt attention, family sources said.

Ted Kennedy - who forged strong ties with Barack Obama after backing him in the primaries - is the president-elect's closest ally in the Senate. He is also leading the charge on health-care legislation, a pet project of Obama's.

A family member told The Post that a second Kennedy in the Senate is a "strong possibility.".

The Post article also addressed the question of what's best for New York:

A Paterson-administration source said that because of Caroline's limited political experience, she is "barely in the game."

Yet, the introverted lawyer made a big splash when she stepped onstage with Uncle Teddy and endorsed Obama early this year.

"Her name recognition and the power of the Kennedy legacy can't be overlooked," said one Democrat.

If picked, Caroline would be the fourth member of her family to have served in the Senate - after Ted, JFK and uncle Robert F. Kennedy, who also represented New York in the 1960s.