William “Mo” Cowan Will Be U.S. Senate’s Historic 2nd Black Member

4 months ago

Deval Patrick appoints former aide to serve as interim senator, as Kerry leaves

First it was Tim Scott and now we’ve got “Mo.” Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday appointed William “Mo” Cowan, a lawyer, longtime friend and former aide, to serve as the interim U.S. senator until voters elect John Kerry’s replacement in a June special election. Cowan, a 43-year-old Democrat, will become the state’s first black senator since Edward Brooke, a Republican, who held the seat from 1966 to 1978. Cowan’s appointment also makes him the second black member to be seated in the current Senate. Scott, a Republican representing South Carolina, was appointed by Gov.Nikki Haley in December. Scott will have to campaign in a couple of years to keep the seat. Patrick said he wanted to appoint Cowan because they had agreed Cowan would not to run for the seat later, out of concern that it would disrupt his ability to do the job well. “This is going to be a very short political career,” Cowan said in a press conference Wednesday. (New York Times)