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Could Barney Frank Take John Kerry’s Senate Seat?

Outgoing Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) has said he won’t rule out stepping in to temporarily fill John Kerry’s Senate seat if and when Kerry is appointed Secretary of State.

Any official replacement would be chosen by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, but Frank’s name has been floated as a possible substitute, as Kerry’s term doesn’t run out until 2014.

‘The governor ought to be free to make whatever choices he makes,’ Frank tells Politico. “In Massachusetts, you’re talking about an interim, not a permanent appointment. I certainly would not take on any long-term appointment.”

Frank, 71, clarified that he wasn’t saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ at this point: “Rejecting an offer that hasn’t been made is also presumptuous,” he told the site.

If he does step into Kerry’s shoes, Frank will join new arrival Tammy Baldwin in the very exclusive gay-senators club.

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