Dates for Kennedy successor election presented

A general election to choose a successor to Sen. Edward Kennedy could be held either Jan. 19 or Jan. 26.

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin, who oversees state election laws, said Gov. Deval Patrick is legally required to choose either of those dates and notify municipal officials of his decision by early next week.

State law requires the governor to set the process for a special election in motion "immediately" upon a Senate vacancy. The election must be between 145 and 160 days of a vacancy.

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Galvin tells The Boston Globe he calculated the dates after meeting with House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray, and Patrick aides.

The primaries would be five weeks earlier.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Kennedy died Tuesday after 47 years in the Senate.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)