Celtics co-owner Pagliuca plots Senate run

By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff

Stephen G. Pagliuca, a wealthy private equity investor and co-owner of the Boston Celtics, is putting together a campaign staff as he plots a potential race for the Democratic nomination to fill Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat, a contest for which he says he is prepared to draw heavily on his estimated $400 million fortune.

Pagliuca is assembling a lineup of policy experts, media advisers, and political organizers and is close to making a final decision to declare his candidacy, according to sources familiar with his deliberations. That announcement could come within the next few days.

"We're putting a staff together so we can hit the ground running," said one adviser.

Complicating any decision he makes to plunge into the highly competitive Senate race is Pagliuca's interest in buying the Boston Globe. He had been part of a small investor group that bid last spring to purchase the newspaper and has continued to show interest in buying the paper.

His entry in the Democratic primary race will likely have a major impact on the contest, which is now dominated by seasoned political figures that include two US House members and the state's attorney general. His financial ability to control much of the airwaves and assemble a talented political team could make him highly competitive.

Among those advising him now and likely to be part of his campaign team if he decides to run are: Doug Rubin, Governor Deval L. Patrick's former chief of staff and architect of his 2006 campaign; Tad Devine, a Washington-based political consultant who was a top aide to Kennedy and Senator John F. Kerry; and Joel Benenson, a pollster who was President Obama's chief pollster in last year's presidential race.