Sen. Vicki Kennedy? No Consensus on What's Next

All agree that Vicki Kennedy turned around husband Ted’s life, but there is little consensus on where the 55-year-old widow will go from here, Politico reports. “All this stuff about her going to the Senate is completely wrong,” says longtime family adviser (and speechwriter) Bob Shrum. Indeed, Mrs. Kennedy has told friends she has no interest in her late husband’s seat, but that's done little to dampen speculation. "She’s the logical choice,” says another insider.

“She knows the issues well, and she could carry the torch for Teddy on the health care issue,” says the former aide. “She would complete his mission.” That Mrs. Kennedy is prepared for the job is in no doubt, as she was as integral to the senator’s political life as she was to his personal one, something of a rarity for a Kennedy spouse. Senate or no, a friend says, “my guess is that she is happy to carry on Teddy’s legacy in other ways.” (More Victoria Reggie Kennedy stories.)