Biden's Replacement Named

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Ted Kaufman, longtime aid to Senator Biden, will serve as Senator from Delaware until the 2010 elections as reported today by The Hill. He is not expected to run for the seat, but rather to serve as an interim office holder until Joe Biden's son, Beau Biden, returns from his tour of duty in Iraq.

A Google search generates a Public Citizen profile of Kaufman, as well as Duke Law Faculty page and a 2007 Washington Post article about Biden's advisers.

Kaufman has worked with the elder Biden since the 1970's and is currently Co-Chair of the Vice Presidential Transition Team. Kaufman also is president of Public Strategies, a political and management consulting firm in Wilmington, Del.

UPDATE: The governor said that Sen. Biden will be sworn in for his 7th term in the Senate on Jan. 6.

She said Kaufman will be sworn in in early to mid January – after Biden resigns from the Senate to assume the vice-presidency.

This is important because if Biden resigned before Jan 6, Kaufman might have to be appointed twice, once to the old term, and once to the new term.

Biden Resignation Update

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On Monday we noted that Biden has said in pre-election interviews (although not confirmed post-election) that he wouldn't resign until Inauguration Day, Jan 20. That begged the question, who would get to make the appointment. We have an answer:

ABC News has learned that Delaware's newly elected Democratic governor is planning to take the oath of office at 12:01 a.m. ET on Jan. 20, 2009, making it possible for him to name Vice President-elect Joe Biden's replacement to the United States Senate. Whether Governor-elect Jack Markell (D) gets to name Biden's Senate replacement will ultimately turn on whether the Vice President-elect makes good on his stated intention to wait until the moment he becomes Vice President to resign from the U.S. Senate.

We'll know who appoints him if Biden resigns on Jan 20.

But if he does resign on Jan 20, this scenario leads to another possible replacement: Current Governor Ruth Ann Minner.

And if Minner gets the appointment, she would likely not run for re-election, allowing Beau Biden to then run for the seat in 2010. (Beau Biden announced earlier today that he would not accept an appointment to his father's seat, which makes sense as he is leaving shortly for a tour of duty in Iraq).

Joe Biden

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You know, we haven't said anything about our new Vice President-elect, the Honorable Senator Joe Biden, Democrat from Delaware.

After seemingly a lifetime in the Senate, having done an amazing job in pushing through legislation to help battered women, having been involved in innumerable foreign policy issues as Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, and having served as head of the Judiciary Committee, he is now merely weeks away from taking the oath of office as Veep. Plus, he won his Senate race with almost 65% of the vote. Face it, Joe Six-pack, Joe-the-plumber, and now the best "Joe-the..." we could have had.

For the past 36 years, Vice President-elect Biden has commuted on AMTRAK from Delaware to DC every day. A long, long commute. Now, he'll be living on Mass Ave, and commuting not far away to the White House complex. (I make the assumption that unlike SOME veeps, he won't be working from an unnamed bunker, or maybe dungeon, I was never quite sure.) The nearest Metro is on Connecticut. It's a bit of a walk, but doable.

I'm betting VP-e Biden will have a government car, with another few filled with Secret Service, ahead and behind. I'm guessing though, that on nice spring days, especially during Cherry Blossom season, he'd rather be taking the train.

I saw Mrs. Biden last night, on stage in Grant Park. Seemingly overwhelmed by the crowd, the lights, the roar. She must be so proud of her boy. And while I'm not sure there's a heaven, if there is one, his dad is smiling down.

Way to go, Joe. Your dedication, smarts, and honor have earned you this position.

And by the way, who do you think will take his seat?

The Senate Races You May Not Be Following

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Sure, if you've been following DCW, you can name all the Senators up next Tuesday. But there are other changes afoot. We could talk TLB Joe Lieberman, but not now. Nor Robert Byrd, who might be giving up his Chairmanship, and instead becoming "Chairman Emeritus". We could also talk who would get the Minority Leader if McConnell loses, but that is premature. That, along with the discussion I'm holding for after the election about how the Senate Republicans function if their entire 'tenured' bunch is gone. Who takes the reins? Who leads, who follows? Does their Senate agenda moderate or move further right?

For now, I'm talking about the fact that there will be either one brand new Senate face if McCain wins, and two if the Obama-Biden ticket wins. So who might replace them?

There are different state laws in place here. First, let's talk Arizona. I know, your initial thought is: can't Governor Nepolitano appoint whomever she wants? Actually, no, she is required by state law to appoint someone of the same party leaving the seat.

Her term (term limited) is up in 2010, and rumour has it that she'd like to run for the Senate. Therefore, she will probably be thinking of who she wants to run against. There are a couple of people interested in filling the position. Rumour has it former Rep. Jim Kolbe is high on her list. When he retired from the House last year, Napolitano appointed Kolbe to the Canamex Corridor Task Force, which deals with trade between Arizona, Mexico and Canada. However, he might not be acceptable to the GOP, since he is openly gay. Whoever gets the seat would fill out John's term, and therefore run in 2010.

On to Illinois. If Senator Obama becomes President Obama, his seat can be filled by a member of either party, and the appointment will come from Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Certainly, you've heard Jesse Jackson, Jr. express interest in the position, and rumours about the seat going to Tammy Duckworth have been floating for months.

But let's talk Rod. To say that he has potential ethics problems is like saying that Ted Stevens once accepted as a gift, a metal folding chair, instead of a $3000 Shiatsu Massage Chair. Also, under Illinois law, he can appoint himself. Remember, there's precedent about how the Senate deals with potential felons. I'm not saying the Senate would be safer than the governor's mansion, but....Also, he might want to appoint the state AG, there's a long-time "family feud", plus she might run against Rod, and this would take her out of the state.

But the most interesting is Delaware. If Joe Biden wins the Vice-Presidency, I am pretty sure that he would be the first sitting Senator to win that position and simultaneously win the Vice-Presidency. I'm pretty sure, but I'm counting on one of you to point out if if I am wrong. The logical choice would be Beau Biden, currently DE AG. But he's currently serving in Iraq. So a place-holder is needed, as the replacement election would be in 2010.

Ruth Ann Minner is the current governor, and if she wants it, she'd be a good choice as place-holder. She's 73. Her replacement will likely be Jack Markell, as he's polling at or above +30. He'd have to appoint her. And he actually can, because her term ends at 9 a.m. on January 20th, and, if elected, Senator Biden would become Vice President Biden at about noon on January 20th. Then again, if he wins, he could resign early, and let Governor Minner fill the seat, although she'd likely choose the current Lt. Governor, who might see himself more as "Senator" than "place holder."

On Sunday, 9 November, "Sunday with the Senators" will scope out the 2010 races, and in coming weeks, each will be framed individually.
Remember, stay with DemConWatch after the election for the best Transition and Inauguration coverage.