Could Caroline Kennedy Succeed Hillary as NY Senator?

The AP is reporting that Caroline Kennedy is interested in succeeding Hillary Clinton as the junior Senator from New York.

New York Governor David Paterson will not appoint Kennedy nor anyone else until Hillary has been confirmed as Secretary of State which won't happen until after Obama is inaugurated.

The only surviving child of John F. Kennedy has never held elected office. However, she became more visible during the 2008 Presidential campaign. Kennedy wrote an editorial endorsing Obama and made several public appearances on his behalf. She also appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Denver where she introduced her uncle Senator Edward Kennedy.

If Kennedy is appointed by Paterson then Obama will have an important ally in the Senate. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of Democrats in the Senate. But most of them don't owe their success to Obama. While some Democratic newcomers were elected on Obama's coattails they don't have the rapport with Obama that Kennedy has established with him.

If she is appointed then she would stand for election in 2010. It would be a busy election season in New York as Governor Paterson is up for election as is Senator Chuck Schumer. Look for Rudy Giuliani to challenge somebody. Assuming Kennedy is elected in 2010 she would have to stand for election again in 2012 which is when Senator Clinton's current term expires.