One unintended consequence of this monopoly is a lot of pent-up political ambition. Bay State Democrats itching to go to Washington usually have to wait -- for a long time. Kennedy won his Senate seat in 1962; John Kerry won his in 1984.

Massachusetts law requires a special election for Kennedy's seat to be held within 160 days.

A long-term vacancy could have effects far beyond Kennedy's home state of Massachusetts, since his death deprives Democrats of the 60-vote majority necessary to force laws through the Senate despite Republican objections.

Just last week, Kennedy urged that the law be changed to allow the governor to appoint a temporary replacement until the special election could be held. Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday told Boston radio station WBUR that he is in favor of the change and would sign it into law if the state legislature passed it.

When the special election is over, the winner will serve out the remainder of Kennedy's term, which expires in January 2013. A slew of local officeholders have nothing to lose and everything to gain by tossing their hats in the ring.

So who's on the list of possible contenders?

Start with the state's 10-member House delegation. With the exception of 72-year-old Rep. John Olver, each one is considered a possible contender, said Bill Mayer, a Northeastern University political scientist.

Rep. Ed Markey, a 17-term congressman from north of Boston, ran for Kerry's Senate seat in 1984. He also briefly aired television ads during his 2004 House re-election bid. Why? There wasn't a serious threat to Markey's House seat, but he wanted to raise his profile in the event of a Senate vacancy created by a Kerry presidential win over George W. Bush, Mayer said.

The one caveat for Markey today: He may not want to give up his chairmanship of an influential House committee dealing with climate-change legislation. The same goes for Rep. Barney Frank, who has plenty of name recognition but may not want to cede the helm of the powerful House Financial Services Committee.

Rep. Mike Capuano, now in his sixth term from Somerville, currently has the seat once held by President Kennedy and House Speaker Tip O'Neill. He took office in 1998 by edging out a 10-candidate primary field with 23 percent of the vote.

Capuano and others might try to follow that same blueprint for a statewide victory, Mayer said. As little as 20 percent may be enough to win a heavily contested Senate primary.

Read the rest of the Story