Political scramble if Kerry joins Cabinet

Possible successors to Senator John Kerry (from left): Attorney General Martha Coakley, US Representative Stephen F. Lynch, state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, former lieutenant governor Kerry Healey, and former governor William F. Weld.

US Senator John F. Kerry's widely reported place on Barack Obama's short list for secretary of state raises the possibility of dramatic changes in the Massachusetts political landscape, just days after Kerry won easy election to a fifth term.

Kerry's leap to a federal Cabinet post would spur what strategists and even potential candidates are already describing as a mad scramble among a dozen or more Massachusetts political figures over a tantalizing opportunity, a rare open seat in Washington's most exclusive club.

"These Senate seats come up once in a lifetime," said Dan Payne, a Democratic media consultant who has worked for Kerry's campaigns. "Anybody who has ever thought they wanted to be a senator will assemble the kitchen cabinet and take a good, careful look at it."

A special election to fill an open US Senate seat would probably attract a huge crowd, from Attorney General Martha Coakley and Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill to US representatives including Michael E. Capuano, Stephen F. Lynch, and the dean of the delegation, Edward J. Markey.

"I certainly would be interested in looking at any vacancy that may occur," Lynch, who has $1.2 million in his campaign account, said in an interview yesterday. "As would probably a dozen other people. And that's probably a minimum."

Said Coakley, confirming her interest last night: "Certainly any politician in Massachusetts would be interested in that seat. They don't open that often."

In fact, there has not been an open Senate seat in Massachusetts since 1984, and the result has been considerable pent-up political ambition that strategists believe will be unleashed in any sort of campaign.

On the Republican side, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan, former governor William F. Weld, and former lieutenant governor Kerry Healey are among the names being discussed by party leaders and consultants.

Kerry stoked speculation on election night, indicating he was open to offers from Obama rather than giving the pat political answer that he was not going to indulge in the hypothetical.

"If the president calls me and asks me to talk to him about something, I'm going to talk to him," he said. "Whatever I am going to do, I am going to keep faith in what I've been fighting for."

Kerry declined requests for an interview yesterday. His spokeswoman sought to tamp down notions of Kerry leaving, saying "This is the political silly season when media speculation is rampant about the new administration.

"John Kerry just won an overwhelming victory for his fifth term in the United States Senate, and he's not looking for any job other than the one he already has," said the spokeswoman, Brigid O'Rourke. "Any assertion otherwise is simply ridiculous and flat out untrue."

Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who is fluent in French, has devoted himself to foreign affairs. Obama's campaign, which already tendered an offer to a high-profile congressman for the White House chief of staff job yesterday, could make an announcement as early as next week on the secretary of state position.

During his reelection bid, Kerry repeatedly rebuffed notions that he would seek another position, saying in a September debate with his Democratic primary challenger, "I intend to serve my term. If I'm elected, that's what I'm doing."

Among the few others mentioned for the job of secretary of state in Obama's administration include Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor and former United Nations ambassador, and Senator Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana.

Kerry was one of the key early endorsers of Obama, backing him just after his Democratic primary loss in New Hampshire. Kerry also gave Obama strategic foreign policy advice before the presidential debates and advised Obama to opt out of the public financing system, a move that dramatically enriched Obama's coffers and allowed him to make a play in states normally safely carried by Republicans.

Kerry also tapped Obama to deliver the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which helped catapult a relatively unknown Illinois state senator to the national stage.

Obama could pluck other officials for key posts in local federal government, including the US marshall's office in Massachusetts, the US attorney, and New England directors of the US departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Labor.

Governor Deval Patrick has also been widely discussed as a possible appointment in an Obama administration, including attorney general or Supreme Court nominee. But yesterday Patrick said that he did not want to return to Washington.

"Are you asking me if I am going to Washington, again?" Patrick asked at a State House press conference. "No, I am not. I intend to stay in my job; we have a lot of work to do. We have an ambitious agenda, and, frankly, if the people will have me, I intend to be here for a second term."

The political landscape is further clouded by the health of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who was diagnosed this spring with a malignant brain tumor. After undergoing surgery, he spoke at the Democratic National Convention, has returned to Washington, and is preparing to push forward healthcare legislation once Obama takes office.

Unlike most states that allow the governor to appoint a replacement, Massachusetts law says that a vacant US Senate seat would have to be filled by a special election within 140 to 160 days of the resignation. The Democrat-controlled Legislature approved the law when Kerry was running for president in 2004, to prevent Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican, from appointing a possible successor.

Democrats could try to change the law back to ensure Republicans don't pull off a surprise victory. Patrick indicated yesterday he was open to the idea of reverting to the old system of appointments, but said he was "not pushing a change."

The current rules would benefit well-known candidates with easy access to campaign money. Congressional members would have an advantage because they could use money from current campaign accounts. Statewide officeholders are not able to transfer money to another account to fund a run for federal office.

Capuano, a Somerville Democrat who has $921,550 in his campaign account, said through a spokeswoman that he would "strongly consider seeking the open seat."

Markey, who has $2.7 million, declined to comment last night. A Senate candidacy for Markey is not as naturally attractive because he has taken on a more powerful House role under a Democrat-controlled Congress.

Other possible Republican candidates include Chris Egan, a top Republican fund-raiser who is serving in Paris as ambassador to the Organization for Cooperation and Development; former acting governor Jane Swift, who has been a surrogate for Republican presidential nominee John McCain; and Andrew Card, a Holbrook resident and former White House chief of staff under President Bush.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. Frank Phillips can be reached at phillips@globe.com.